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.
USA Today announced on 9 October that Louisville, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis entered a mutual aid agreement to share emergency resources when overwhelmed by natural disasters, terrorist attacks or other catastrophic events. The agreement outlines procedures for these cities to provide police, firefighters, emergency medical services, public works or other public services as needed. The idea for this action came from Baltimore, which previously forged "working relationships" with several cities, including Harrisburg (PA), Richmond (VA), and Washington D.C.
The Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) applauds this multijurisdictional approach to comprehensive emergency preparedness. It is another excellent example of consequential steps to ensure the availability of additional specialized resources when and where needed. Furthermore, mutually supportive agreements such as this one will sustain emergency response and recovery in an all-hazards environment.
Mutual and automatic aid agreements exist between and among many neighboring municipalities throughout the nation. However, these agreements are not present and active in countless places where adjacent localities can share critical resources rather than duplicate them. Therefore, the EMR-ISAC reminds that a well-executed mutual aid agreement enhances survivability, saves time and money, and bolsters the protection of the critical infrastructures belonging to the communities and emergency personnel affected by man-made and natural disasters.
According to courant.com, earlier this month federal officials indicated that the number of laboratories actively working with dangerous biological substances has skyrocketed. The same government experts expressed concern about the security at many of these labs.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed there are currently 335 laboratories-from private companies to hospitals to colleges-registered with the CDC to handle deadly biological agents such as anthrax, Ebola, and smallpox. Of those labs, 245 are registered to work with live anthrax. CDC officials said there are now more than 100 university laboratories among the 245 using live anthrax.
The Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) understands the possibility for a deliberate or accidental incident at one or more of the 335 registered labs using lethal substances. Considering the risks to critical infrastructures from a man-made or natural disaster involving one or more of these labs, the EMR-ISAC encourages Emergency Services Sector (ESS) departments and agencies-in conjunction with their municipal government leaders-to effectively coordinate prevention, protection, and response actions with these facilities in their jurisdiction. The prevailing threat warrants the update and rehearsal of emergency plans for biological hazards that integrate all responder organizations and mutual aid partners in a manner that promotes survivability and mission success.
Joint Publication 3-41, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and High-Yield Explosives Consequence Management, 2 October 2006 (PDF, 1.6 Mb), provides overarching guidelines and principles to assist military commanders and their staffs in planning and conducting consequence management operations. The publication specifically discusses the consequence management environment and may have value for ESS organizations preparing to deal with any crisis at a laboratory containing biological agents.
In 1967, smallpox or Variola major & minor jeopardized 60 percent of the world's population, killing 1 of every 4 infected. For this reason, the World Health Organization (WHO) implemented a seemingly impossible plan to eradicate the disease that had decimated populations for over 3,000 years, an intense challenge requiring cooperation from every corner of the world. Because smallpox was only found in humans, eradication was successful in 1979 and made official by the WHO in 1980.
The WHO decided not to destroy smallpox, but to keep samples in two locations: the CDC in Atlanta (GA) and what was then the USSR for storage and extremely limited study. Unfortunately, Russian scientists saw an opportunity to cultivate a highly contagious disease for destructive purposes. Since the fall of the USSR, it is not known where the weaponized smallpox is stored or if any of it is missing. It is also believed that not all countries (i.e., Iraq, Iran, and North Korea) disposed of their samples when ordered to do so by the WHO.
The Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) asserts that bioterrorism became a bitter reality with the release of anthrax through the mail on 27 September 2001. This event motivated many bioterrorism specialists to study when and where any missing smallpox might reappear as an attack on the American people. Recognizing the possibilities, the EMR-ISAC encourages Emergency Services Sector departments and agencies to earnestly prepare for bioterrorism equally as much as for any other type of terrorism. The protection of internal critical infrastructures for a smallpox incident should be seriously considered.
Detailed information including symptoms can be seen at the following two links:
Ever present on the minds of Incident Commanders (ICs) is safety: how to protect Emergency Services Sector personnel-foremost among internal critical infrastructures-when performing their mission-essential duties upon which citizens depend.
The Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) studied documentation about ICWater, a software tool developed primarily by the U.S. Forest Service, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This computer desktop tool is now available at no charge in all 50 states.
Contaminated discharges into local water supplies already occur accidentally throughout this nation. Furthermore, the possibility exists for a terrorist attack on any American water source. Therefore, ICs needed a tool to alert them to substances first responders could encounter at an incident as well as provide timely information vital to protect the public.
ICWater is a GIS-based system supported by more than a dozen databases (e.g., dams, roads, bridges, pipelines, hazardous materials, hospitals, schools, and hydrologic units, etc.) that is compatible with existing consequence assessment tools. After incident data are input, ICWater quickly produces maps, tables, and charts that tell commanders if drinking water intakes are in a contaminant's path, and when and in what concentration a contaminant would reach intakes. Secondarily, the software functions as a training and planning aid for ICs. Using the tool in conjunction with the U.S. National Grid (see first article of the October 20, 2005 InfoGram) enriches the training experience.
Extensive information about ICWater can be viewed at http://eh2o.saic.com/icwater. Preliminary versions of the software were tested by state hazardous materials teams in Oregon and Washington; however, its developers hope to receive additional input and feedback from users of the software as it is acquired nationwide.
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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