InfoGram

September 15, 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.

Reconsideration of Plans and Systems

There appears to be one constant about man-made and natural disasters: communities and their emergency services are probably going to lose critical infrastructures necessary for survivability, sustainability, and response-ability. Leaders, owners, and operators of the nation's critical infrastructures were reminded of this by Hurricane Katrina. The catastrophe repeated an invaluable lesson for community decision-makers everywhere: "Plans should be rewritten and systems upgraded to pass the next reality test."

Numerous localities throughout the country are taking the "Katrina Experience" very seriously and prudently bolstering plans and systems for a large-scale disaster within their jurisdictions. State and local governments have begun examining if they will have enough food, water, medical supplies, evacuation routes, relocation transportation, temporary housing, etc., to be self-sufficient for 72 hours and longer. They are commendably transitioning from a reactive to a proactive posture by fixing weaknesses in existing emergency plans, procedures, and systems.

The EMR-ISAC accepts that quality community leaders-including those of emergency departments and agencies-will ensure there are good plans and systems in place as well as the strength to fully implement them. However, this ISAC also recognizes that genuine excellence results from frequent drills, exercises, and rehearsals to identify existing weaknesses or vulnerabilities until there are none remaining to correct. A proactive approach such as this will likely strengthen the protection and preservation of local critical infrastructures before, during, and after the next major calamity.

Hurricane Katrina Observations

The EMR-ISAC continues to collect from multiple unofficial sources credible Hurricane Katrina observations and lessons learned for the Emergency Services Sector, particularly as they pertain to critical infrastructure protection. In this week's Journal of Emergency Medical Services eNews, David Becker (MA, EMT-P, paramedic 27 years) offered factors for consideration before a disaster happens. His article can be seen at: www.jems.com/jems/exclus05/e0913b.html. The following considerations have been modified from the Becker article for local officials and emergency organizations:

• Review the National Response Plan (2004) to get a basic understanding of the framework for incident management with roles and responsibilities and emergency support functions.
• Understand, adopt, and follow the National Incident Management System (2004) for the processes, protocols, and procedures responders will use to coordinate and perform duties.
• Familiarize with the appropriate state emergency response plan and steps to access regional or state assets.
• Develop or revise the local response plan by involving public officials, emergency organizations, and other community stakeholders to determine actions and resources necessary to continue civil and emergency services.
• Decide how responders will assure the safety of their families and check the status of their property during long-term response and recovery operations.

Requesting Assistance for Critical Infrastructure Needs

On 14 September, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published formal points of contact to request federal assistance for needs related to critical infrastructure assets and systems, including security. DHS cautions that all attempts to meet any needs should be addressed first at the local level.

Requests from infrastructure owners and operators that cannot be satisfied at the local level should be submitted to the local DHS Infrastructure Coordinator located within the Joint Field Offices (JFOs). The JFOs are centers established locally to coordinate response and recovery activities. The Infrastructure Coordinator will insert the request into the JFO process so that it goes to the appropriate Emergency Support Function cell for action. The contact information for these POCs can be seen here:

• Louisiana - 225-242-6031 or 225-242-6032
• Mississippi - 601-961-2672 or 601-961-2686

If either of these numbers cannot be reached due to a high volume of calls or system problems, contact the National Infrastructure Coordinating Center (NICC) at 202-282-9201. The NICC will record the request and then route it to the POC at the appropriate JFO for attention and resolution. Any needs not addressed and satisfactorily resolved through this process should be reported to the NICC at 202-282-9201 or by email at NICC@dhs.gov.

A National Preparedness Month Tool

Emergency Services Sector organizations may have use for a bioterrorism wallet-sized pocket guide during this month's preparedness outreach activities. If so, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene released its version of a bioterrorism preparedness card for emergency responders and citizens. The card contains tips for planning and responding to some of the illnesses that could be caused by a deliberate attack. Its opposite side has spaces for writing in emergency telephone numbers and special medical needs of the card's carrier.

The card features information about anthrax, botulism, smallpox, plague, sarin, and dirty bombs culled from scientific information and research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. A spokesperson for the Maryland agency said that the card is modeled after a similar document distributed by the state of Virginia as an example of states sharing information. The spokesperson, Dr. Diane Matuszak, stressed the advantage of presenting the information in a format that fits easily into a wallet so that it is available when actually needed.

When used by first responders this card may contribute to the critical infrastructure protection of their emergency departments: http://www.dhmh.state.md.us/preparednessinfo.pdf (PDF, 86.2 Kb, Adobe Acrobat (PDF) Help).