InfoGram

July 21, 2005

NOTE: This InfoGram will be distributed weekly to provide members of the Emergency Services Sector with information concerning the protection of their critical infrastructures. For further information, contact the Emergency Management and Response - Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) at (301) 447-1325 or by email at emr-isac@fema.dhs.gov.

Emergency Preparedness Objectives

Only two weeks after the 7 July terrorist bombings in London, suspected terrorists caused small explosions today at three subway stations and on one bus in the British capital. Despite the overseas location of these attacks, the events reinforce the necessity for an integrated approach to implementing protection for the transportation and other American critical infrastructures. Thoroughly coordinated plans and security measures should explicitly identify each local organization's responsibilities and readiness to assume essential functions before, during, and after man-made and natural disasters.

The EMR-ISAC reminds that emergency preparedness plans and measures should be comprehensive. For example, effective planning will include such details as ensuring the easy passage of ambulances, fire apparatus, law enforcement, and construction equipment to evacuate the injured to hospitals, extinguish fires, protect infrastructures, secure damaged structures, maintain public order, etc. All preparedness arrangements should be concluded and rehearsed to enhance the survivability, continuity, and success of participating departments.

The Brookings Institution further suggests three emergency preparedness objectives appropriate for deliberate or accidental attacks on the mass transit and other critical infrastructures:

• Deterrence, Prevention, and Mitigation - to deter or prevent attacks from occurring, or to mitigate the potential damage caused by these attacks.
• Emergency Response and Consequence Management - to prepare emergency responders to efficiently manage the consequences of a catastrophe.
• Recovery - to expeditiously restore public services and return physical structures, economic activities, and social life to pre-attack status.

The EMR-ISAC proposes four worthy purposes/outcomes for the objectives stated above as they pertain to active emergency preparedness by local government officials, emergency managers, and the senior leaders of the Emergency Services Sector: To out-wit, out-plan, out-train, and out-last any individual or group of individuals who engage in terrorist actions within the United States.

Booby Trapped Emergency Vehicles

The EMR-ISAC was notified of an old terrorist tactic recently used in the gas filler tubes of sheriff department vehicles. Plastic baggies containing a granular substance were discovered after the gas caps were removed from twelve patrol vehicles. Subsequently, the contents were confirmed to be a very strong alkaloid substance (PH 14), which becomes volatile when it contacts water and gasoline. No explosions or injuries were reported in connection with this incident.

For several years, extremists and anarchists have advocated killing or committing violence against emergency services personnel, particularly law enforcement officers. Instructions continue to appear online that show how to booby trap and attack police officers. Therefore, the EMR-ISAC recommends routine inspections of patrol and emergency vehicles before and during each shift. Give special attention to foreign objects inside or outside of the vehicle, including gas filler tubes.

Chemical Hazards Familiarization

Considering the probability for a deliberate or accidental incident involving chemical plants, the EMR-ISAC has previously encouraged Emergency Services Sector (ESS) organizations to efficiently coordinate prevention, protection, and response actions with chemical manufacturing facilities within or adjacent to their jurisdiction. The potential for accidental fires itself warrants the update and rehearsal of multidisciplinary emergency plans for chemical hazards.

Therefore, the EMR-ISAC suggests that ESS departments and agencies arrange for an organization-wide familiarization visit to local and regional petrochemical facilities. The visits should provide an excellent orientation to the chemicals manufactured or housed at the plant, configuration of each building, floor plans, work force population, internal security, firefighting capabilities, etc. Because of the possibility of having a fire and NOT be able to apply water, firefighters must ascertain at least three critical elements of information: which chemicals they can use water on, which ones they cannot, and how to determine the difference during emergency response operations.

Agroterrorism Awareness Courses

The Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC) collaborated with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture to create two computer-based courses on agroterrorism awareness for "first detectors." The courses illustrate the potential for terrorist attacks on crops, livestock, and the U.S. food supply. According to the KIPRC director and Terrorism Response and Preparedness program manager, "Agroterrorism has already occurred in the United States and, since 9/11, seems more likely to occur again."

The agroterrorism courses are available free of charge on one CD-ROM to provide extra bandwidth for interactive features. Students will learn from videos, animation, and interactive exercises. Quizzes and course examinations ensure student comprehension of the topics. Certification allows graduates to officially record their achievement as necessary or desired.

Target audiences include state and local public safety personnel, law enforcement, emergency response, emergency medical (including hospital emergency facilities), and related personnel, agencies, and authorities. To inquire about the courses or to order a free CD-ROM, visit the following website: http://www.kiprc.uky.edu/trap/agro.