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.
While tracking developments in the area of critical infrastructure protection for the Emergency Services Sector (ESS), the Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) reviewed personnel and physical asset protection information important for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) members.
Chair and CEO of the Objective Safety website, and a Board-certified Emergency Medicine physician, Nadine Levick, MD, MPH, spoke this month at the JEMS EMS Today symposium on safety in the EMS workplace and environment.
In her presentation, "Staying Alive - What's Out There to Keep You Safe at Work," Dr. Levick described EMS as an occupation where the "workplace is a vehicle and also a crash site." She outlined issues, hazards, and areas of risk for EMS providers that include transport accidents (intersection crashes are most lethal), ergonomics, biohazards, violence, and automotive safety. Following data that substantiated the hazardous nature of EMS work, she discussed safety measures and equipment designed to help mitigate the dangers: head protection, reflective protective clothing, restraint systems, tiered dispatch, back-up cameras, equipment lockdown procedures, and "Black Boxes" (driver behavior monitoring and auditory feedback devices).
As she explored the problem of why emergency medical services have developed outside the umbrella of the transportation safety infrastructure, she reviewed ANSI/ASSE Standard Z15.1, Safe Practices for Motor Vehicle Operations, 2006 (American National Standards Institute/American Society of Safety Engineers). The Standard covers safety programs and policy, driver recruitment, selection, and training, and responsibilities and accountability, among other topics. An article on legal perspectives on the Standard is available at the Objective Safety Website.
Dr. Levick offered her "Prepare-Teach-Reach-Respond" guidance, encouraging EMS leaders, owners, and operators to examine their safety records, teach safety and hazard awareness, reach out with safety information, and respond with best safety practices. Her presentation and numerous free, downloadable resources for the ESS are available at the Objective Safety Website.
According to Dr. Levick, the Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Academies is nearing the release of findings on topics applicable to ESS personnel and physical asset protection: driver training, behavior-based safety techniques, health and wellness for drivers, and the role of safety culture in preventing crashes. Christopher Jenks of the TRB can be contacted for additional information.
The Emergency Management and Response - Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) suggests members of the Emergency Services Sector (ESS) take the opportunity to acquire the 2007 edition of the National Fire Protection Association's (NFPA) Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs (PDF, 945 Kb). Available now for free downloading (for a limited time period), this Standard has critical infrastructure protection relevance that supports the goals of preventing operational degradation and maintaining continuous response-ability.
When the Standard was initially developed, NFPA's Disaster Management Committee envisioned a preparedness standard that identified key components of a comprehensive plan that could be used by a variety of organizations. NFPA 1600 establishes a common set of criteria for disaster/emergency management and business continuity programs. The information can be used to assess an ESS organization's current program or to develop, implement, and maintain aspects for prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery from emergencies. The 2007 edition incorporates changes to the 2004, expands the conceptual framework of the earlier version, and adds prevention as a fifth and distinct concept along with mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery.
Developed in cooperation and coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Emergency Management Association, and the International Association of Emergency Managers, NFPA 1600 is one of the association's most widely implemented standards. The Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) bases its voluntary national accreditation process on NFPA 1600. EMAP-accredited states ensure their disaster preparedness and response systems meet national standards in 15 areas, including planning, resources management, training, exercises, evaluations and corrective actions, and communications and warning.
To fill a gap created by the lack of a central source of risk assessment and risk management tools, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) upgraded an existing risk mitigation document to create an interactive tool that can help the Emergency Services Sector (ESS) and allied stakeholders protect critical infrastructure.
The Emergency Management and Response - Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) examined the Risk Mitigation Toolkit that is based on the existing hard-copy document, NISTIR 7390, A Guide to Printed and Electronic Resources for Developing a Cost-Effective Risk Mitigation Plan for New and Existing Constructed Facilities. Encompassing more than 300 active Web links, the toolkit focuses on risk assessment, risk management, and economic evaluation, with relevant software, data, and tools.
Resources for natural and man-made hazards include earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, flooding, terrorism, other criminal acts, and chemical accidents. Any of these hazards could degrade or disrupt operations, and endanger personnel, physical, and communications/cyber assets of emergency organizations.
The toolkit features a three-step protocol for developing a cost-effective risk mitigation plan. Decision-makers (1) assess the likelihood that their facility and its contents will be damaged from natural and man-made hazards; (2) identify engineering, management, and financial strategies for abating the risk of damages; and (3) use standardized economic evaluation methods to select the most cost-effective combination of risk mitigation strategies to protect their facility. The purpose of the risk mitigation plan is to provide the most cost-effective reduction in personnel injuries, financial losses, and damages to new and existing constructed facilities, consistent with the goal of critical infrastructure protection.
To use the guide or share it with interested community stakeholders, visit the NIST Website. A simple registration process is required.
The Emergency Management and Response - Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) learned that the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate has established TechSolutions, a program to support the Emergency Services Sector (ESS) by accelerating delivery of emerging technologies.
"No one understands the needs of first responders better than first responders," said Under Secretary for S&T Jay M. Cohen. "Every day, hundreds of law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical services personnel, and bomb-squad members think, 'there's a better way to do this,' and we want to hear from them."
The goal of TechSolutions is to provide information, resources, and technology solutions that address mission-capability gaps identified by emergency responders. S&T's commitment to spiral development and rapid prototyping ensures funding for selected proposals within 45 days, and a solution demonstrated within 12 months of funding. Costs of the solutions should be commensurate with the proposal, but less than $1 million per project. Solutions also should deliver up to 100 percent of identified requirements. Responders will partner with the department from start to finish.
Proposals should be limited to three printed pages, and include contact information so that DHS personnel can provide status updates to those who submit proposals. Members of the ESS are encouraged to submit ideas that would aid the first responder community by increasing efficiency and on-the-job safety.
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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