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.
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Considering the frequency of natural disasters and probability of another terrorist attack, the Emergency Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) agrees it would be particularly prudent for Emergency Services Sector (ESS) departments and agencies to develop organizational continuity of operations (COOP) plans to ensure operational sustainability during all emergencies. Regardless of the nature of the disaster, COOP planning must primarily focus on one critical element: how does the organization continue to complete mission essential tasks when numerous employees cannot physically report to work?
The success of COOP planning will ultimately depend on the ability of employees to conduct mission essential tasks when catastrophe strikes, including the capability of the organization to perform remotely when necessary. In the final analysis, the EMR-ISAC suggests that COOP planning is really about the cost. This is not the cost of developing and implementing a COOP plan, but the cost of not being prepared to execute successful emergency responses in an all-hazards environment.
For the benefit of ESS leaders, owners, and operators, the following are the key COOP plan checklist items abridged with some revisions by the EMR-ISAC from the article "COOP Access Strategy," seen in the September issue of the Homeland Defense Journal:
Go to the Homeland Defense Website and click on Previous Issue to find the journal for September 2007. The "COOP Access Strategy" article can be found at page 12.
The Emergency Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) encourages Emergency Services Sector (ESS) organizations to immediately consider taking the steps necessary to secure a portion of the $960 million in funding for Public Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC) Grants available for the states and territories of the United States.
Since the award of the $960 million by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the focus shifts now from how much money each state and region will receive, to which organizations will get that money, and how they will use it. Under the PSIC grant program, the money is administered by the State Administrative Agency (SAA) for each state, typically the state's department of emergency management or homeland security.
By 3 December 2007, each state and territory must identify projects to be funded under the award, and submit an Investment Justification (IJ) for those projects, along with the Statewide Communications Interoperability Plan. Each IJ will include up to 10 investments or projects. All ESS organizations interested in PSIC funding will be able to seek funding through their SAAs, but should first contact their SAA office to determine what IJs are currently being developed. If a given organization or jurisdiction is not included in these programs, its leaders should consider aligning the needs of their organizations with others in their region to improve their chances of success in the award process. SSA contact information can be found here.
The one-time-only PSIC grants are an attempt to improve interoperable communications for thousands of responder organizations across the country that need multiple channels of communication, land-mobile radios, cell phones, computer networks, satellite phones, and other devices to have the full arsenal of communication devices necessary to improve local infrastructure protection and to remain response-able during emergency operations.
The Department of Commerce has developed documents to help interested emergency organizations determine how to submit their funding requests to their SAA office.
Life-saving and injury prevention information to protect personnel, the foremost asset of Emergency Services Sector (ESS) critical infrastructures, was released this week by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
The Emergency Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) recommends attention to NIOSH Publication No. 2007-155. Preventing Worker Deaths and Injuries from Contacting Overhead Power Lines with Metal Ladders contains site setup guidance and precautions, such as measuring and sketching a site diagram of power line distances from work areas, including ladder lengths and ladder staging areas. It advises contacting local utility companies for assistance when emergency operations must take place near energized, overhead power lines.
With respect to personnel protection, the document has information regarding the "1:4 rule" for ladder positioning, ensuring that responders have a means of communication, and are trained to approach and provide aid to injured personnel. It also adds the caveat to use appropriate American National Standards Institute-approved ladders (not metal) for work near energized lines.
The EMR-ISAC reminds emergency leaders that, upon request, the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluations (HHE) program conducts no-cost workplace assessments to determine if workers are exposed to hazardous materials or harmful conditions and whether the exposures are affecting personnel health.
Guidance for preparing applications for upcoming federal funding for all disciplines of the Emergency Services Sector (ESS) is available in the State and Local Emergency Managers' Guide to Grants (2007).
Looking for opportunities to bolster critical infrastructure protection and resilience, the Emergency Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) reviewed the 24-page document. The Guide provides an overview of funding programs available through five federal agencies: Departments of Homeland Security, Transportation, Health and Human Services, and Justice, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It explains how funds are awarded under each program (e.g., indirect/pass-through or direct), and helpfully offers key websites that provide grant information, a glossary of grant application terminology, a list of relevant acronyms, and "ten tips for successful grant applications."
Emergency organizations that applied for federal funds in the past several years were able to "self-certify" their compliance with the requirements of the National Incident Management System (NIMS). As the guide points out, however, Fiscal Year 2007 introduces a system of "performance-based metrics" that are intended to measure a jurisdiction's level of progress toward NIMS implementation. Grant applicants will be asked to answer questions about specific activities such as training, exercising, categorizing resources (i.e., resource typing), mutual aid agreements, and plan revisions.
The EMR-ISAC encourages all ESS leaders to review the guide and to consider applying for funds that can be used to acquire emergency equipment and vehicles, and to enhance planning, training, and exercises. Funds awarded under the Buffer Zone Protection Program can be used "to build security and risk-management capabilities at the state and local level to secure critical infrastructure."
According to the guide, "agencies that have taken a proactive approach to seeking funds have been the most successful at receiving them." View/Download the Guide (PDF, 2.0 Mb)
There will be no InfoGram published next week (22 November) in recognition of Thanksgiving Day. The EMR-ISAC wishes everyone a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving.
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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