June 29, 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 Planning Lessons Learned

It is common knowledge that emergency planning by communities and their emergency services is an inescapable imperative because it involves making crucial decisions about local survivability, continuity, and response-ability prior to man-made or natural disasters. Periodically updated plans recognize current capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses, which inevitably affect vital community and emergency services in addition to quality of life. Emergency plans specifically address the people, assets, and systems necessary to respond and recover from short-term problems (e.g., electrical and communications outages) or long-term calamities (e.g., geological, meteorological, biological, chemical hazards).

During the last two years, the Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) noted some meaningful qualities about successful local emergency plans. Considering the relationship between superb emergency plans and critical infrastructure protection, the EMR-ISAC shares the following common characteristics of successful plans for reflection by those responsible for local emergency planning:

• Local departments and agencies are thoroughly committed to the plan.
• The plan includes both short- and long-term response and recovery.
• All previous lessons learned are incorporated into the plan.
• The plan reliably discusses who and what could be counted on in an emergency.
• All personnel from the newest to the most senior are trained on the plan's contents.
• The plan is realistically exercised after all personnel receive training.
• Appropriate revisions are made to the plan after each major exercise.

Atypical Weather Events

The Mid-Atlantic States typically receive only the remnants of hurricanes; however, between 16 and 21 June, this area experienced what meteorologists are calling "unusual tropical activity." Emergency management officials consider the weather event a "rain disaster" that has already caused ten fatalities, weakened dams, flooded buildings, homes, and transportation systems, and prompted the evacuation of thousands of residents.

The Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) observed that this atypical weather event presented challenges for the Emergency Services Sector (ESS). The seemingly incessant rain forced emergency organizations to respond to uncommon major flooding, while simultaneously trying to protect their own critical infrastructures and response-ability.

To assist ESS asset protection in areas not normally faced with extreme water and flood conditions, the EMR-ISAC offers the following considerations, particularly for those emergency facilities that are privately owned and without government support:

• Clean building gutters and drainage systems of debris.
• Periodically check for leaks in roofs or buildings and arrange for repairs.
• Identify locations to store apparatus and equipment threatened by floodwaters.
• Set up the means (i.e., resources) and procedures needed to pump floodwaters from sector buildings, keyed to whether buildings are publicly or privately owned.
• Assess the locations of building electrical and mechanical systems and study the feasibility of changing their locations to protect critical infrastructure, especially if the systems are located in basements or lower floors.
• Identify sources for, or acquire sandbags, shovels, tarps, etc., if weather continues to worsen.
• Store or have contracts for sufficient fuel, water, and food.
• Prepare to host evacuees as necessary.
• Continue to build relationships and to practice teamwork with all nearby emergency organizations as well as the departments and agencies of other critical infrastructure sectors.

Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center

As reports of wildland fires continue, including recent news of a state fire training area damaged by wildfire, the Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) reminds the Emergency Services Sector (ESS) of the expanding number of pertinent information resources and tools available on the Internet such as the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center.

The Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center is located at the National Advanced Fire and Resource Institute (NAFRI) in Tucson, Arizona, a national-level center for strategic planning, development, and implementation of fire, fuels, resource, and incident management skills and educational processes. The Center recently relaunched its "MyFire Community," an online resource that supports professional collaboration among fire practitioners in established work groups segmented by topic. The site has been upgraded to support new groups and to allow neighborhood groups to set up and customize their own home pages.

The Lessons Learned Center, an interagency program supported by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) and other agencies, offers a searchable library and archived newsletter issues. It is the official interagency repository of factual investigation reports and analyses completed by subject matter experts. This Center also provides a list of several dozen links organized by fire incident news, research and technology, safety, training, weather, and additional lessons learned, with newer sites noted by date of establishment.

The EMR-ISAC regards the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center as a no-cost resource that accommodates the sharing of experiences and insights, and can potentially yield credible information about the protection of ESS critical infrastructures.

Emergency Medical Grant Resource

The Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) learned of a newly available grant resource for the various components of the Emergency Services Sector (ESS).

Grants for Medical Response 2006 (Planning, Training, and Equipment) is a 24-page special report that offers writing advice and tips for acquiring grants related to specific needs of emergency departments and agencies. Resource needs are identified for call centers (equipment, software, and training to develop data-mining and call-scan technology), communications (equipment, training and reliable backup systems), transportation (vehicles, equipment, and training), personnel (asset management), triage (training and provision of multiple triage centers and equipment backup locations), and pre-positioning of supplies (funds to acquire supplies and equipment and to ensure that personnel receive appropriate training).

An overview of agencies and major funding sources is featured along with contact information, grant deadlines, and funding periods. The grant-writing suggestions include succinct project management guidelines.

The EMR-ISAC suggests that this resource is a valuable tool for acquiring or enhancing critical infrastructure protection (CIP) assets, and encourages sector leaders to view and download the report at no charge.