InfoGram 3-07: January 25, 2007

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.

2007 Terrorist Threat Forecast

Another year has passed without a major terrorist attack in the United States. Nevertheless, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials assert that terrorism remains the paramount threat to American critical infrastructures. Considering this information, the Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) reexamined the probable sources of terrorism in 2007. The findings are very briefly summarized below for the benefit of the leaders, owners, and operators of the Emergency Services Sector (ESS).

The metamorphosis of Al-Qaeda to a global movement has encouraged the independent "jihadist" to conduct world-wide attacks. This decentralization has given Al-Qaeda a broader geographic and operational reach. Although these dispersed groups lack the organizational effectiveness and expertise of well-trained Al-Qaeda cadre, they still have the potential resolve and resources to strike America in the near future. FBI specialists forecast that small groups of terrorists "will increasingly cooperate with one another to achieve desired ends against common enemies." These impromptu alliances "will challenge federal, state, and local abilities to identify specific threats" from such loose associations.

Federal security authorities additionally maintain that the lone actor will be the significant domestic terrorism threat this year. "Lone wolves" derive ideological inspiration from formal terrorist organizations, but operate on the fringes of those movements. "Despite their ad hoc nature and generally limited resources, they can mount high-profile and extremely destructive attacks." Too often their operational planning is difficult to detect. However, in addition to "loners," right-wing extremists, espousing antigovernment or racist sentiment, will pose a considerable threat "because of their continuing collection of weapons and explosives coupled with their propensity for violence."

To meet these threats, the DHS and FBI leadership cautioned against complacency, saying "another attack in the U.S. is inevitable." Hence, the EMR-ISAC must continue to persuade ESS departments and agencies to anticipate terrorism in their communities, and to initiate protective measures to ensure survivability, continuity, and response-ability during and after the attack.

CERT for CIP

The Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) learned that a growing number of suburban communities are forming a Civilian Emergency Response Team (CERT) to help their first responders and others in the first few days after a catastrophe. Considering the perpetuating resource-restrained environment throughout the nation, particularly within the Emergency Services Sector (ESS), the EMR-ISAC applauds local emergency managers and ESS chief officers who have instituted the formation, training, and utilization of a CERT.

A CERT is a viable and cost-effective way to strengthen municipal critical infrastructure protection (CIP), because CERT personnel are better prepared to augment emergency response operations while coping with the realities of a man-made or natural disaster. CERT-trained individuals effectively supplement the local response capability, especially when people must rely on each other for help to meet their immediate life-saving and sustaining needs. Assuredly, this is an outstanding opportunity to get the public involved in making a positive difference when calamity strikes.

The CERT training program is a 20-hour course, typically delivered over a seven-week period. Training sessions cover disaster preparedness, disaster fire suppression, basic disaster medical operations, search and rescue, and team operations. The training also includes a disaster simulation in which participants practice skills that they learned throughout the course. The CERT course is taught in the community by a trained team of first responders who have completed a CERT Train-the-Trainer course conducted by their state training office for emergency management, or FEMA's Emergency Management Institute, located in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

Dams: At Risk Infrastructure

Considering the present situation at the Wolf Creek Dam in Kentucky, and the possibility of catastrophic flooding in Kentucky and Tennessee, the Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) researched the current status of American dams to acquire the potential impact of dam failures on the departments and agencies of the Emergency Services Sector (ESS). The EMR-ISAC concludes that numerous ESS organizations will experience potential operational degradation or destruction in the event of dam failures.

EMR-ISAC fact-finding points to a problem that was grim two years ago and continues to worsen. Unofficial inventories by dam safety watchdogs provide estimates of 79,000 to 99,000 of them, 56 per cent of which are privately owned. The estimates change as officials discover previously uncounted dams. The New York Times writes that, unlike waterways and sanitation plants, for example, "Dams are among the country's most dangerous structures." Thousands have been abandoned by their owners. In addition to the danger posed by the aging process, there is "hazard creep," that results when developers build directly downstream from dams, in the path of floods that would follow dam failures.

Overworked dam safety officials cannot carry out all mandated inspections. Many dams exceed their hazard ratings, and, in most states, rankings do not account for the consequences of the toxic chemicals and runoff from farms and mines that would be released downstream of a dam failure. Not to be overlooked is increasing precipitation caused by climate changes: two strong (but not catastrophic) rainstorms in the New England region in 2005 and 2006 caused the overtopping or breaching of more than 400 dams in 3 states.

Emergency managers are abundantly challenged to be aware of all threats to their communities. Awareness of the number and status of dams within their jurisdiction is a necessary obligation. The responsibility regarding dams includes the development and implementation of emergency action plans to repair weakened dams, as well as planning for a dam failure that includes the evacuation of affected citizens. To assist in an ESS partnership for dam safety, resources are available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's dam safety program, Association of State Dam Officials and the Dam Safety Coalition.

Managing Citizen-Volunteer Liability

The Emergency Services Sector (ESS) has partners in the war on terrorism and the practice of critical infrastructure protection (CIP). Among them are citizen "CIP multipliers" who serve in the Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS), and Fire Corps programs, both part of the USA Freedom Corps. They are managed by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, International Association of Fire Chiefs, International Association of Fire Fighters, and the National Volunteer Fire Council.

VIPS and Fire Corps volunteers perform a wide variety of services to support law enforcement and public safety efforts: administrative duties, citizen patrols, community liaison activities, neighborhood watches, and research. They help with search and rescue activities, fingerprinting, victim assistance, and youth-related programs. Volunteers who have special skills are valuable in such areas as vehicle maintenance, language translation, computer programming, public relations, security, and with chaplain programs.

However, concerned that the issue of citizen-volunteer liability might discourage ESS leaders from tapping a valuable CIP resource, the Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) offers the following suggestions.

In an article on managing liability as it pertains to volunteers, author Art Femister, writing for Officer.com, states that there is "real liability associated with using civilian volunteers." He encourages extensive screening and testing before "hiring," a well-designed and demanding training program, and an extensive post-graduation field training program. "Volunteers should undergo and be expected to pass a standardized training course equal to, if not greater than, that of .officers for similar duties they may perform.," he states. Also essential are written policies and procedures that detail what volunteers can and cannot do, and an instructor guide that outlines their training program.

According to information at the VIPS Website, volunteer liability laws vary by state and jurisdiction, so it is important to consult with the local government attorney. Mr. Femister considers it essential that departments have volunteers sign a personal liability statement that makes clear that acting outside the scope, authority, and/or policies of the department could subject the volunteer to a lawsuit against him for which the department will not defend.

Additional resources are available from the Public Safety Volunteer Institute and for fire and EMS responders at Firecorps.org.

LLIS.gov and EMR-ISAC Partnership

The Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) has partnered with Lessons Learned Information Sharing (LLIS.gov) to establish a one-stop shop for the EMR-ISAC's critical infrastructure protection (CIP) information. LLIS.gov is the Department of Homeland Security's online network of best practices, lessons learned, and other preparedness information for the emergency response and homeland security communities. LLIS.gov has created a new page that houses all the latest CIP (FOUO) Notices, CIP Bulletins, InfoGrams, and other related critical infrastructure protection (CIP) resources distributed by the EMR-ISAC. The page also contains an archive of past notices and bulletins that have been sent by the EMR-ISAC, which can easily be searched, sorted, and filtered according to user needs and interests.

LLIS.gov is a free and secure system open only to vetted emergency response providers and homeland security/defense officials. To access the EMR-ISAC page, please enter the following URL: https://www.llis.dhs.gov/member/secure/dynamicpage.cfm?pagetitle=EMR-ISAC. The page is also accessible from the LLIS.gov homepage. For more information or to register, please visit www.llis.gov.