May 11, 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.

Impersonation: A Growing Threat?

The Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) learned that incidents of impersonation may be increasing nationwide. Some law enforcement authorities expressed justifiable concern about this development because the majority of the suspects are police impersonators. For example, last month an individual was apprehended in possession of numerous police badges, ID cards, uniforms, batons, handcuffs, gun belts, a shotgun, a taser, and police car lights.

Regardless of the type of emergency responder being impersonated, the EMR-ISAC recognizes a growing threat to the critical infrastructures of communities and their emergency departments. This matter is particularly problematic for several reasons: a lot of authentic first responder paraphernalia can be obtained via internet sales and some local shops, many of the items are legally obtainable by non-emergency personnel, authentic accouterments and copy-cat accessories are frequently indistinguishable, and because too many incidents of successful impersonation are not reported.

This reality should serve as a reminder to all municipal leaders that America's criminals and transnational terrorists can exploit impersonation in order to plan and execute attacks against local critical infrastructures. These impostors can especially capitalize on local vulnerabilities during and after a man-made or natural disaster. Therefore, the EMR-ISAC offers the following practices for consideration before a catastrophe strikes:

• Issue and mandate the wearing of picture identification while on duty.
• Require a 100% identification check at suspicious incidents.
• Maintain 100% personnel accountability at all incidents.
• Be observant and preserve situational awareness during the performance of duties.
• Attempt to know as many members of your department as possible.
• Recognize the members of neighboring departments and mutual aid organizations.
• Establish aggressive controls over vehicle access to the incident scene.
• Implement strong controls over non-official or spectator access to the incident scene.
• Completely destroy unserviceable clothing, equipment, and accessories before discarding.

Governance and CIP Planning

Earlier this month, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff spoke at a planning conference in Washington, D.C. During his speech he discussed many issues, but stated that the "issue of governance is the biggest obstacle" and, consequently, "the biggest challenge we face." Referring to the necessity for governance to successfully achieve interoperability, Secretary Chertoff explained that if you don't have the commitment of leadership, you will not be successful.

The Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) perceives a broader application of Secretary Chertoff's remarks. The EMR-ISAC comprehends the positive correlation between governance and critical infrastructure protection (CIP). Effective planning and activities to protect local critical infrastructures will be impossible without the continuous commitment and exercise of governance.

According to a reliable online source, the term governance refers to "the responsibility for the processes and systems by which an organization operates to allocate resources and control activity." As applied to a municipality, governance generally pertains to the dedicated discharge of authority over those local services that provide for the health, welfare, safety, and protection of citizens collectively.

The EMR-ISAC maintains that governance is the business of the chief executive officers of cities and counties. It is precisely these individuals who are ultimately responsible for the CIP plans and activities of their respective jurisdictions. Hence, it is exactly these individuals to whom emergency managers and emergency departments should look for CIP leadership. To a large degree, governance and leadership are synonymous. Without the commitment of leadership (i.e., elected officials), CIP will not be successful for the Emergency Services Sector.

Responder Guidance for RDD Scenarios

Years of experiments by Sandia National Laboratories on the aerosolization of radiological dispersal devices (RDD) have yielded science-based response guidance for the Emergency Services Sector (ESS) during the first 48 hours after detonation.

More than 500 explosive experiments were performed on various forms of materials so that the dispersal characteristics of most realistic radioactive sources could be predicted accurately; thereby giving responders information on what is realistically possible. Until now, the responder guidance paper states, planners treated biological, chemical, and radiological agents identically. The result is that responders receive overly conservative and inefficient procedures. While the particulate cloud from a RDD can be hazardous, it is not as immediately dangerous to life and health as anthrax or chemical agents.

Initially, the authors say, ESS members should consider establishing a "high zone" with boundaries of 500 meters in all directions from the point of detonation. With a good set of experiments behind this recommendation, "first responders can follow it without radiation measurements if they know there is radiation associated with the explosion." Responders, the authors advise, should evacuate the high zone and control access to it. Additional guidance includes how to interpret radiation levels, and suggestions about where to locate a command post, and triage contaminated personnel as well as handle those not in urgent need of medical exams.

The authors detail "a set of practical guidance for the user community.who must enter the contaminated area to rescue injured victims, and protect critical infrastructure." Most of the initial decisions on emergency-phase protective actions, they say, must be made before an attack and "codified" in responders' operational procedures.

Presently, the paper, Emergency Response Guidance for the First 48 Hours After the Outdoor Detonation of an Explosive Radiological Dispersal Device, is available to subscribers of Health Physics journal. However, the Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) regards the information as important to ESS organizations and arranged to have a copy available (PDF, 351 Kb, Adobe Acrobat (PDF) Help) until 15 August.

Cyanide Poisoning Treatment Coalition

The Cyanide Poisoning Treatment Coalition (CPTC) is a joint nonprofit venture of seven emergency medical services and hazardous materials organizations to study the consequences of cyanide poisoning. The Ohio-based CPTC President, Donald Walsh, said the coalition closely exams cyanide poisoning factors in the U.S. because they are overlooked and, in some cases, instances of poisoning are not recognized or treated.

The Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) acknowledges that the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention consider cyanide an ideal terrorist weapon that can degrade critical infrastructures. Extensive transport of the chemical on highways and railways makes it readily accessible to adversaries. Additionally, cyanide can be found widely used in industry and household products.

When products containing carbon and nitrogen burn, they produce hydrogen cyanide, which is the gaseous form of cyanide. Even when a fire smolders, the products break down and emit fumes that can be deadly if inhaled. This is particularly dangerous to Emergency Services Sector (ESS) personnel, who are the foremost among the critical infrastructures of response organizations. Such is why responders must consistently and properly utilize their self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), while ensuring adequate ventilation throughout the operation. Furthermore, many emergency service organizations recommend medical screening of first responders potentially exposed to hydrogen cyanide.

The EMR-ISAC learned that U.S. Food and Drug Administration has begun its approval process for an antidote to cyanide. When added to the marketplace, the antidote will benefit ESS members, fire victims, and should become another tool against terrorism.

Educational programs and tools to help the responder community improve its preparedness and early recognition of cyanide poisoning can be seen at the coalition's website: http://www.cyanidepoisoning.org.