InfoGram 32-07: August 16, 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.

America's Aging Infrastructures: Another Vulnerability

In last week's InfoGram, the Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) discussed the structural integrity and vulnerability of America's transportation infrastructure. The article proposed that the aging bridges which are "structurally deficient" may be highly vulnerable to accidental, man-made, and natural disasters. It further conveyed that the information being publicly disseminated regarding faulty bridges is exploitable by America's adversaries.

After the recent bridge collapse in Minneapolis, federal government authorities announced that there was no evidence of terrorism. Similar declarations followed the July 2007 explosion of an 83-year old steam pipe in Manhattan and the August 2003 power blackout throughout the Northeast. These announcements were favorably received and certainly reassuring. However, the absence of a major terrorist attack within the United States for six years could impart a false sense of security.

The EMR-ISAC understands that America's aging infrastructures distributed across the nation may be another vulnerability susceptible to accidents, natural disasters, and terrorism. The increasing strain on U.S. infrastructures can potentially disrupt or prevent essential survival services within a community or region. While it is good to know there was no "terrorism nexus" involved in the aforementioned infrastructure failures, the breakdowns seem to corroborate that the homeland may be more vulnerable than anticipated.

Considering the probability of future failures involving the nation's aging infrastructures, the EMR-ISAC advocates the continued refinement of the plans and procedures implemented following an accident or attack on any community infrastructure that would incapacitate or prevent continuity of operations and task accomplishment. Hence, Emergency Services Sector (ESS) organizations should ensure that their personnel, physical assets, and communication/cyber systems (i.e., internal critical infrastructures) are not degraded or destroyed during response operations.

Furthermore, many security specialists agree that aging infrastructures are more vulnerable to terrorism because of their perceived weaknesses. Since terrorists collect particulars about critical infrastructure vulnerabilities, such details warrant appropriate information security measures. Therefore, ESS personnel must do their part to deny sensitive information to those who would use it to conduct attacks.

Chemical Hazard from Pulp and Paper Mills

When conducting research regarding the threats to and vulnerabilities of the Emergency Services Sector (ESS), the Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) reviews countless reports from a multitude of organizations such as the North Carolina Public Interest Research Group (NCPIRG). In an August 2007 NCPIRG report, the EMR-ISAC learned that pulp and paper mills have received little attention nationwide compared to industrial chemical plants. This may be a dangerous fact considering that across the country pulp and paper facilities use and store large amounts of hazardous chemicals that could be released in the event of an accident or terrorist attack.

The EMR-ISAC also ascertained that 74 pulp and paper plants in the United States still use chlorine and/or chlorine dioxide in their processing and store millions of pounds of both on site. Chlorine and chlorine dioxide are used as bleaching agents in many pulp and papermaking processes. In the event of an accidental or deliberate release, chlorine and chlorine dioxide present serious hazards. Exposure to relatively low levels of chlorine can be fatal. Similarly, chlorine dioxide causes shortness of breath, bronchitis, and emphysema. Acute exposure can cause potentially fatal pulmonary edema.

According to the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB), confronting the threat of a hazardous release from a pulp and paper factory will require close collaboration among local, state, and federal officials. The owners and operators of these mills must be encouraged to seek attention and cooperate with local authorities (including those of emergency departments and agencies) to establish safety and security programs that exceed federal minimum requirements. Moreover, by adopting safe technologies, pulp and paper facilities can achieve safety and security reliability, operating cost savings, enhanced environmental performance, and improved community relations.

Considering the potential chemical hazard, the EMR-ISAC advises that Emergency Services Sector organizations with pulp and paper plants within or adjacent to their jurisdictions can bolster community infrastructure protection as well as the protection of their own internal infrastructures by implementing the following actions (not inclusive):

• Conduct regular inspections of the pulp and paper factories, checking building layouts, evaluating physical security measures, and examining fire suppression systems, materials storage, and worker training.
• Perform extensive training to ensure each responder has some level of familiarity with the pulp and paper mill, and the current HAZMAT procedures and precautions to follow.
• Develop a dependable and substantial mutual aid system for responses to the pulp and paper plant.
• Rehearse the seamless expansion of response operations using the Incident Command System.
• Determine the scenarios and situations which may necessitate backing off and calling for more help.

Unified Command Successful in Bridge Collapse

On 1 March 2004, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the approval of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) that established the first standardized incident management processes, protocols, and procedures for all members of the nation's Emergency Services Sector (ESS). Referring to the new NIMS, the incumbent DHS Secretary Tom Ridge stated, "All of these measures should unify the response community as never before by putting into practice the concept of one mission, one team, one fight."

The Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) suggests that the NIMS goal was largely realized when the I-35W bridge collapsed earlier this month in Minneapolis. Numerous post-catastrophe reports validate that the Unified Command System as discussed in the NIMS enabled a response that Minneapolis Fire Chief Jim Clack described as "having everyone on the same sheet of music." The system worked successfully mainly because all regional responders trained extensively and participated in exercises together so that, as Chief Clack said, "We all know each other and our capabilities. And, they were all there where they needed to be." "The exercises sure paid off," he added.

According to Hennepin County (Minnesota) Sheriff Rich Stanek, "We have a unified command system now where everyone-police, fire, sheriff's office, doctors, coroners, local and state and federal officials-operate under one voice." He believes lives were saved because disaster protocol plans were fine-tuned and improved through lessons learned from 11 September 2001.

The decision to institute unified command was made immediately and followed rapidly by the activation of a state Emergency Operations Center (EOC) that included representatives from all emergency response organizations; state departments of agriculture, education, health, transportation, natural resources, and human services; the Salvation Army; American Red Cross; and the city's finance director. The response involved at least 75 state, local, and federal agencies. Incoming crews reported to staging areas established on both sides of the bridge. All responding agencies operated under the 800 megahertz radio frequency system and communicated successfully.

Throughout the entire response and recovery period, none of the critical infrastructures of responding departments and agencies were disrupted or degraded in any way at any time. The EMR-ISAC recognizes that organizational critical infrastructures remained intact and operational because of the smart planning, excellent training, hard work, synchronization of all participants, and application of NIMS processes and procedures.

Hurricane Preparedness Tool

A free online tool that incorporates hurricane planning and preparedness information with recommendations from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), American Red Cross, and local and state emergency management agencies can boost participation in National Preparedness Month activities scheduled for September 2007.

The Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) is aware that meaningful family disaster planning helps to alleviate the concerns of Emergency Services Sector (ESS) personnel called to duty during natural disasters. Additionally, pro-active preparedness efforts by the public increase individual and family self-sufficiency and can lessen their dependency on responders.

At the website https://www.onestorm.org, users can, in approximately 10 to 15 minutes, enter information, e.g., names, addresses, ages, medications taken, pets, etc., to begin creating their customized hurricane plan. The planning measures for each individual or family include information necessary both for sheltering in place and evacuating. For each option, the online tool enables users to complete checklists of needed items with the user indicating whether the items are on hand, need to be added, or are not applicable. The system sends electronic reminders every two weeks about still-needed items. Users can quickly log on to update their plan as items are acquired, or personal information changes.

The system regularly transmits hurricane safety information, can provide shelter locations, and tips tailored to individual requests for information. A planned notification system will continuously update hurricane risk potential based on National Hurricane Center forecasts of approaching storms and remind users of items still necessary for their planning kits.

The site was launched in May 2005 and is being utilized by residents of Florida, the Gulf Coast, and Eastern seaboard, among others. Its advisors include the former director of the National Hurricane Center, Max Mayfield, meteorologists, and hurricane analysts. The site's founder, Chris Bennett, describes it by saying, "It's really communicating with people regularly and making them part of the preparedness community as opposed to just presenting them with a list of information.I like to use the phrase that we're really trying to instill and create a culture of preparedness in our communities."

The EMR-ISAC proposes that the privacy-protected, secure website could simplify the planning and preparedness activities of ESS family members and the general public.