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.
Most psychologists generally agree that attitudes affect behaviors. In other words, an individual's attitude will very likely affect how he or she behaves. This is a widely accepted principle of behavior that places much emphasis on the correlation between attitudes and actions such as planning operations and performing duties. Consistent with this tenet, the Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) appreciates the relationship between attitudes about prevention and protection and the actual practice of critical infrastructure protection (CIP).
After examining numerous documents containing lessons learned from recent disasters, the EMR-ISAC recognized attitudinal lessons having the potential to enhance CIP. These lessons represent attitudes that can potentially yield behaviors which effectively promote hazard mitigation and mission assurance. Some of the lessons are briefly summarized as follows:
The business of critical infrastructure protection (CIP) is not exclusive to Emergency Services Sector (ESS) organizations such as local emergency management agencies. Under the leadership of elected officials and the municipal emergency manager, greater community disaster preparedness results when truly diverse participation occurs. The Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) asserts that working together for CIP typically benefits a community's protection, health, morale, and economic security.
Review of several examples by the EMR-ISAC confirms that real strength and synergy emerge when local private businesses partner with public sector agencies. By including manufacturing, retail, banking, transportation, insurance, service, lodging, food industry, agriculture, and other community stakeholders, elected leaders and emergency managers will bolster the effective communications, coordination, and cooperation necessary to pursue CIP in a time-efficient and resource-restrained manner.
The collective approach to CIP significantly assists the identification of infrastructure vulnerabilities, and the interdependencies that are critical to a community's survival. Additionally, a robust partnership can provide a reliable understanding of organizational and community needs and responses during an emergency. The expected outcome from genuine community participation should be the competent and timely coordination of assets before, during, and after man-made and natural disasters.
The Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) reminds current users of National Fire Academy (NFA) online training courses (also referred to as 'Q' courses) to submit their 75-5a application forms no later than 1 October 2006 to receive recognition of their course completion.
According to NFA Superintendent Denis Onieal, once the NFA online courses move to the planned new website, students who have not submitted the 75-5a application forms will be required to retake their courses to receive credit and a NFA certificate. Online training users also are encouraged to complete and send in the applications so that all accomplished training can be kept on one transcript for the benefit of each student.
The 75-5a forms can be accessed at www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/75-5a.pdf (PDF, 635 Kb, Adobe Acrobat (PDF) Help) and, once completed, can be faxed to (301) 447-1601. Online courses continue to be accessible at the NETC Virtual Campus.
Regarding the new USFA training website, the EMR-ISAC learned that details will be announced in an upcoming press release.
While accessing the Virtual Campus, the EMR-ISAC suggests members of the Emergency Services Sector (ESS) note that "Plans and Procedures for a WMD Event" was added this week to the collection of PREPnet Internet broadcasts available at the site. The WMD broadcast describes how responders can best use locally available assets during a terrorist response.
The Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) learned about a collection of free online courses and tutorials for Emergency Services Sector (ESS) personnel seeking training to protect critical infrastructures.
Among the training resources available from the Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI) (http://www.riskinstitute.org/peri) is 'Aggression Management.' Intended for the workplace, the short course is a comprehensive, practical overview of aggressive behavior. Its goals are to help supervisors identify aggression, foresee possible conflict, and prevent it from occurring. Given that aggression negatively affects employees' sense of trust, security, productivity, and morale, and also increases absenteeism and turnover, the information in the course can help ESS leaders protect the well-being of their most critical asset: personnel.
An 'Accident Preparation and Response Tutorial' is a useful responder protection tool that addresses such workplace-related incidents as on- and off-premises accidents and those involving vehicles driven by emergency personnel. It offers guidance on avoiding missteps that can have a significant impact on legal and insurance outcomes, and how to respond effectively when an accident occurs.
Examples of additional PERI online training and resources are listed under categories such as Homeland Security/Terrorism, Emergency/Disaster Management and Hazard Mitigation, Risk Identification and Analysis, Safety and Health, Technology Risks, and Benchmarking and Performance Measurement. PERI's goal for its E-Training is to increase access for organizations that have limited financial resources.
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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