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.
There were tremendous nation-wide efforts during the past year to reduce or eliminate the threats from terrorism and natural disasters. Nevertheless, several parts of the United States experienced nature attacks that caused tremendous harm and destruction. In many instances, the critical infrastructures of emergency departments and agencies were significantly incapacitated. Regrettably, there will probably be additional events during this New Year that further deplete already constrained budgets and worsen the struggle to allocate scarce resources against competing priorities.
Recognizing the likelihood for future natural disasters, the EMR-ISAC encourages the leaders, owners, and operators of the nation's emergency services to resolve to proactively practice the protection of internal critical infrastructures: the personnel, physical assets, and communication/cyber systems essential for uninterrupted response-ability. For 2006, the EMR-ISAC specifically recommends the revision and rehearsal of plans, procedures, and guidelines to emphasize protection and prevention activities as well as response and recovery actions.
Identifying and reducing the vulnerabilities of internal critical infrastructures will bolster protection and prevention, and make the infrastructures more resilient to both man-made and natural disasters. There are time-efficient, low-cost methods to reduce or eliminate threats and vulnerabilities. Many of them are the result of ingenuity and creativity. Some are limited more by imagination than by time and money. The EMR-ISAC extends its best wishes for great success throughout 2006 with the selection and application of protection and prevention measures appropriate for each first responder organization and its community.
The EMR-ISAC disseminates sensitive but unclassified "For Official Use Only" (FOUO) critical infrastructure protection (CIP) information to the validated leaders of the Emergency Services Sector (ESS). Most of the information originates from the Department of Homeland Security and normally contains timely and important FOUO information regarding the threats to, vulnerabilities of, and security best practices for ESS departments and agencies. These CIP (FOUO) Notices typically assist emergency planning and operations for all hazards, particularly terrorism.
The following ESS leaders are eligible to receive CIP (FOUO) Notices through the EMR-ISAC:
ESS personnel who are not receiving any CIP information from the EMR-ISAC through DisasterHelp.gov should follow the directions at: https://disasterhelp.gov/usfacip.html.
However, those in the above qualifying positions who are already receiving this weekly InfoGram, but not the FOUO information should complete the following steps:
Please understand that all those who apply to receive CIP (FOUO) information will be validated to ensure that their position is correctly stated and, therefore, have the "need to know."
Recipients of CIP (FOUO) Notices are reminded that the information is exclusively for the vetted ESS leaders listed in paragraph 2 above. The information should NOT be released either in oral or written form to the media, the general public or other personnel who do not have a valid "need to know" without prior approval from the EMR-ISAC. Additionally, the FOUO information should be stored in a locked container when not in use.
First responder protection and safety are key aspects of critical infrastructure protection (CIP) promoted by the EMR-ISAC. A new, online synopsis, Officer Safety and Extremists: An Overview for Law Enforcement Officers, offers life-saving information useful to all members of the Emergency Services Sector (ESS).
The summary consists of six sections: an introduction, why extremists are a safety concern, common officer safety situations involving extremists, extremist identifiers, defusing and safety techniques, and a conclusion.
Of interest to all ESS members is the section that outlines common responder safety situations. Included are traffic stops, residence visits, confrontations, stand-offs, rallies, marches, incident responses, and revenge and retaliations.
In terms of residence visits, extremists are on their "home turf," an advantageous position. First responders must know that extremists can call for reinforcements, may have constructed elaborate booby traps, have loaded weapons in every room, and the home itself may be heavily fortified. Under incident responses, for example, responders are cautioned that extremists can place secondary explosive devices intended specifically to harm emergency personnel.
Confrontations and stand-offs can begin when an eviction or foreclosure takes place and become protracted and complex. Also, marches and rallies with an extremist group and one or more groups that oppose it, all ready to do battle, are among the worst-case scenarios for emergency responders.
Each section of the overview is approximately two pages. It can be viewed at http://www.adl.org/learn/safety.
More than a year ago, law enforcement authorities reported that methamphetamine trafficking and abuse in the United States were increasing. The EMR-ISAC cautioned in a previous InfoGram that clandestine meth production labs often placed emergency responders in immediate danger. The labs can explode because of the volatile chemicals used; a secondary concern is the toxicity of the chemicals that can contaminate the area surrounding the lab after an explosion.
Updated information about recent meth-related incidents indicates that meth-lab fires are most common at this time of year because drug cooks, struggling to stay warm in garages, sheds, abandoned homes and other unheated occupancies, keep doors and windows tightly closed. As combustible solvents evaporate during the cooking process, the air in small, unventilated areas becomes flammable.
A particularly dangerous technique used in some meth recipes calls for simmering camping fuel. The fuel can burst into flames after being cooked too long. Another hazardous practice of meth cooks is making their own anhydrous ammonia by heating ammonium nitrate, which is a highly explosive fertilizer:
Additionally, the EMR-ISAC advises that nurse tanks (i.e., small, mobile tanks that can be used to store anhydrous ammonia), are targeted often for theft by meth producers. It is not uncommon for the thieves to steal some of the contents and then leave the tanks' hoses undone, creating a health and environmental hazard.
Considering its increasing production, distribution, and use nationwide, the EMR-ISAC encourages ESS organizations to train personnel regarding safety procedures when responding to incidents involving methamphetamine.
The two-hour Gang Information Videoconference scheduled for 11 January 2006 at 11:00 a.m. EST has been postponed until further notice. The videoconference, sponsored by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency, was the topic of an article in the 8 December 2005 InfoGram. To check for updates, visit http://www.trc.eku.edu/jj/conference.asp?confid=31.
The U.S. Fire Administration/EMR-ISAC does not endorse the organizations sponsoring linked websites, and does not endorse the views they express or the products/services they offer.
This INFOGRAM may contain copyrighted material that was not specifically authorized by the copyright owner. EMR-ISAC personnel believe this constitutes "fair use" of copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use copyrighted material contained within this document for your own purposes that go beyond "fair use," you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
DHS and the FBI encourage recipients of this document to report information concerning suspicious or criminal activity to DHS and/or the FBI. The DHS National Operation Center (NOC) can be reached by telephone at 202-282-9685 or by email at NOC.Fusion@dhs.gov.
The FBI regional phone numbers can be found online at www.fbi.gov/contact/fo/fo.htm
For information affecting the private sector and critical infrastructure, contact the National Infrastructure Coordinating Center (NICC), a sub-element of the NOC. The NICC can be reached by telephone at 202-282-9201 or by email at NICC@dhs.gov.
When available, each report submitted should include the date, time, location, type of activity, number of people and type of equipment used for the activity, the name of the submitting company or organization, and a designated point of contact.
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