InfoGram

October 13, 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.

Another Impending Crisis?

Numerous public and private health agencies are warning of an impending flu pandemic. Medical specialists of the World Health Organization recently stated "it is not a question of if, but when," referring to a worldwide influenza catastrophe. American health experts expressed their concern as well. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt conceded last week that anxieties about an avian flu occurrence in the United States are not unreasonable considering the outbreaks in China, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, etc.

Some epidemiologists allege that the nation is unprepared for a flu epidemic. They note little planning progress to reconcile the threats posed by deadly biologic pathogens. "Most state and local jurisdictions do not have plans in place to address the unique challenges that will rapidly unfold." They also report shortages in everything from vaccines to mundane medical supplies. These medical experts additionally believe the heart of the problem is getting emergent, actionable information to crisis planners, doctors, and local emergency responders.

Public health experts predict that influenza outbreaks throughout the country will be followed by a quick and sharp rise in absenteeism. "Hospitals and emergency response departments may experience severe personnel shortages and a drastic disruption of routine operations." The experts conclude that if the illness spreads across the nation there will be a grave deterioration in health, safety, security, and other essential community services.

Given the ominous forecasts for a possible pandemic, the EMR-ISAC recommends that local emergency managers and emergency services organizations take time to review the State and Local Pandemic Planning Guide at http://www.dhhs.gov/nvpo/pubs/pandemicflu.htm. Pre-planning and preparations may mitigate or prevent the probable degradation of services caused by an American influenza crisis.

More Hurricane Lessons Learned

The 8 September InfoGram provided some initial lessons learned by emergency departments and agencies in the states affected by Hurricane Katrina. These can be seen at: (http://www.usfa.fema.gov/subjects/emr-isac/infograms/ig2005/igsep0805.shtm) Since then, the EMR-ISAC collected additional hurricane response lessons from multiple unofficial sources that can equally apply to incidents of flooding. Reporting agencies recommended emergency organizations in areas susceptible to hurricanes or flooding make the following advanced arrangements:

• Prepare to operate in water depths exceeding three feet.
• Identify reliable sources for civilian and military boats to conduct operations.
• Confirm reliable sources for civilian and military vehicles with water-fording capabilities.
• Determine reliable sources for helicopter support.
• Acquire and practice with hard sleeves/suction hoses to draft water.
• Obtain Coast Guard approved (Type 1) personal flotation devices (PFD) for all personnel.

Flood-Weakened Dams Pose Threat

A recent InfoGram provided a brief overview of levee issues resulting from the recent hurricanes in the Gulf States. In the past week, serious flooding in parts of the Eastern U.S. has potentially weakened another portion of the nation's key resources-dams-which can fail and threaten Emergency Services Sector organizations as well as the communities they protect.

There are approximately 79,000 dams in the United States. As with levees, overtopping is a leading cause of dam failure. However, structural failure, cracking caused by movements such as natural settling, inadequate maintenance and upkeep, improper filtering of seepage through a dam, and foundations eroded by flooding, also can lead to failures.

Although correctly considered a potential terrorist target, dam safety experts assert that nature is the greater threat to American dams. Therefore, the EMR-ISAC suggests elected community leaders collaborate with emergency managers and emergency departments to acquire a competent assessment of the operational and safety status of nearby dams.

Fortunately, there are readily available and accessible sources of information. The United States Society on Dams offers a presentation, Water and Dams in Today's World, in DVD and VHS formats at no charge upon request by contacting stephens@ussdams.org. The Society's website URL is http://www.ussdams.org.

The Association of State Dam Safety Officials' website (http://www.damsafety.org) includes a database of state dam safety programs for the U.S. By clicking on a specific state, that state's dam safety individual (with all contact information), statistics about the state's dams, and state safety laws and regulations can be viewed. The database of the National Inventory of Dams can be accessed at http://crunch.tec.army.mil/nid/webpages/nid.cfm.

Finally, FEMA's National Dam Safety Program, http://www.fema.gov/fima/damsafe, has awarded approximately $15 million over the five years that the program has existed. State Dam Safety Programs receive the grants directly from FEMA and are able to supplement state budgets to hire personnel, buy equipment, and perform analyses.

Emergency Vehicle Safe Operations Program

Approximately 25 percent of firefighter fatalities occur in vehicle crashes responding to, or returning from, emergency incidents. To help counter this statistic, a new web-based educational program geared toward reducing vehicles crashes in volunteer and small combination Emergency Services Sector organizations is now available online.

The Emergency Vehicle Safe Operations for Volunteer and Small Combination Emergency Service Organizations Program includes an emergency vehicle safety best practices self-assessment, standard operating guideline examples, and behavioral motivation techniques to enhance emergency vehicle safety.

USFA Deputy Administrator Charlie Dickinson noted that the emergency vehicle safety program, developed in partnership with the National Volunteer Fire Council, also will support the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation's Firefighter Life Safety Initiative to reduce on-duty firefighter fatalities. The EMR-ISAC advises that this program and all aspects of the Firefighter Life Safety Initiative contribute to protecting personnel, the most valuable of internal critical infrastructures.

The Emergency Vehicle Safe Operations course can be accessed at http://nvfc.org/page/988/Emergency_Vehicle_Safe_Operations.htm. Additional information about this program as well as other USFA efforts in emergency vehicle safety may be found on the USFA website at http://www.usfa.fema.gov/research/safety/vehicle.shtm.