May 4, 2006 InfoGram

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 Services Sector: A Soft Target?

Particular critical infrastructure sectors (e.g., energy and chemical) have initiated multi-tiered security measures, which make these "preferred targets" less susceptible to attack and disruption. Antiterrorism experts allege that the successful hardening of those sector facilities causes "soft targets" to become more attractive to domestic and transnational terrorists. This has certainly been verified by recent events in other nations of the world.

According to an online encyclopedia, "soft targets" are relatively unarmored or unprotected assets that usually accommodate large amounts of people with unobstructed entry and minimal security precautions. The Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) suggests that aspects of this definition apply to the personnel, physical assets, and communication/cyber systems (i.e., critical infrastructures) of the Emergency Services Sector (ESS).

When conducting training or response operations, many ESS departments and agencies (e.g., fire and emergency medical services) are relatively unarmored and unprotected. These vulnerabilities provide the "soft target" circumstances that appeal to America's adversaries. Therefore, considering the possibility that terrorists may seek to capitalize on exploitable conditions within some ESS organizations, the EMR-ISAC recommends the implementation or enrichment of critical infrastructure protection (CIP) activities. Concerned departments and agencies should focus resource-restrained protective actions on only those people and things that must be intact and operational 24x7 to guarantee uninterrupted response-ability.

City Planners and Emergency Planning

The Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) learned that city planners promote the best utilization of a community's land and resources. They develop long- and short-term plans to use land for the growth and revitalization of urban, suburban, and rural communities. Often referred to as community, urban, or regional planners, these individuals help local officials make decisions concerning environmental, economic, social, and sometimes security problems.

Frequently, city planners are involved in determining the size and location of roads, bridges, public transportation systems, public safety facilities, schools, public housing, office buildings, industrial complexes, and other infrastructure. Considering their responsibilities, the EMR-ISAC comprehends that city planners should be important partners of local emergency planning committees, emergency managers, and the chief officers of emergency departments and agencies. All must recognize that the plans, recommendations, and decisions of city planners can potentially influence the protection of community critical infrastructures as well as those of local first responders.

The EMR-ISAC proposes close collaboration and cooperation between emergency planners and the city planner for their jurisdiction. The relationship should ensure safe and smart community change and growth, which supports all approved emergency and infrastructure protection plans.

Regional Teams Named for 2006 Storm Season

Building on lessons learned from the 2005 hurricanes, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is "out front" with the announcement of five teams that will coordinate the federal government's role in support of state and local governments for the upcoming storm season.

"Designating these teams now will give state and local officials a chance to plan, train, and exercise with their Federal counterparts before a disaster strikes," said DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff. He also pointed out to officials, citizens, and the Emergency Services Sector (ESS) the benefit of understanding emergency management roles and individual responsibilities in advance of this next storm season.

Twenty-seven experienced individuals comprise the five teams and will assume their roles as Principal Federal Officials (PFO), Deputy Principal Federal Officials (DPFO), and Federal Coordinating Officers (FCO). PFOs and DPFOs serve as Secretary Chertoff's representatives on the ground and primary point of contact for state and local officials within their area of authority.

The Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) acknowledges that Secretary Chertoff's early announcement offers the opportunity for the ESS, especially emergency managers, to identify the regional team to which they can address critical infrastructure protection (CIP) issues prior to the 2006 Hurricane Season.

The list of lead federal officials for the 2006 storm season can be viewed at the DHS Website.

Another Look at the U.S. National Grid

One critical component of communications interoperability that is free, easy to learn and use, and supported by no-cost online training is the U.S. National Grid (USNG).

The Incident Command System (ICS) is used nationwide under the National Incident Management System (NIMS). Yet according to the first U.S. Fire Service Needs Assessment (USFA/NFPA 12/2002 FA-240), "The vast majority of (fire) departments with a map coordinate system have only a local system, which means the system they have is unlikely to be usable with global positioning systems (GPS) or familiar to, or easily used by, non-local emergency response partners, such as Urban Search and Rescue Teams, the National Guard, and state or national response forces. Moreover, interoperability of spatial-based information systems, equipment, and procedures will likely be rendered impossible beyond the local community under these circumstances. This reliance almost exclusively on local systems exists across-the-board, in all sizes of communities."

Confronted after Hurricane Katrina by a disaster response area of 90,000 square miles, more than 5,000 members of the Emergency Services Sector (ESS) realized firsthand the challenges of working on someone else's "disaster ground." Responders on unfamiliar terrain tried to use a multitude of local maps to work in areas where street signs and landmarks no longer existed.

It is unnecessary for responders to give up their local systems (e.g., call-box alarm, local grid, etc.) to use the USNG; rather, the National Grid supplements local systems when a large disaster strikes. Instead of entering a street address and ZIP code, users input a single string of letters and numbers that can give directions within one meter of a location anywhere in the world. USNG is a single universal system based on coordinates provided by satellite imagery and is compatible with all military mapping systems.

FEMA endorsed the USNG to "help save lives, reduce the costs of disasters, and enhance preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation efforts." The Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) recognizes that these objectives are consistent with critical infrastructure protection and, therefore, suggests that ESS leadership add the National Grid to exercises, drills, and pre-planning activities before the start of the storm season. Visit the Federal Geographic Data Committee's Website for simple user instructions and a one-page USNG educational poster developed by Skagit County, Washington.