InfoGram 2-08: January 17, 2008

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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"Forest Jihad": A Legitimate Threat?

While researching the current threats to the Emergency Services Sector (ESS), the Emergency Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) learned that a terrorist website recently posted a message calling for �Forest Jihad.� The statement in Arabic urged all Muslims in the United States and other Western nations to use forest fires as weapons against �crusader nations.� The posting said that starting wildfires is legal under extremist Islamic law and advised terrorists to use sulphuric acid as well as gasoline to ignite the fires.

U.S. terrorism analysts have not yet determined if the �Forest Jihad� is a legitimate threat to American forests, the resources contained within, the wildland-urban interface, and all the personnel committed to extinguishing wildfires. Regardless, the EMR-ISAC suggests the appropriateness of focusing on greater situational awareness and effective risk management to protect ESS critical infrastructures from wildfires. The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) recommends managers at all organizational levels engage firefighters and subordinate line officers on the subject of risk management. To learn more about the USFA recommendation, see the Wildland Fire Operations Risk Management Information Paper.

Furthermore, the Wildland Fire Lessons Learned Center is a national-level center for strategic planning, development, and implementation of fire, fuels, resources, and incident management skills and educational processes. The Center offers no-cost opportunities such as an online searchable library and archived newsletters. It is the official repository of factual investigation reports and analyses completed by subject matter experts. This Center also provides a list of several dozen links organized by fire incident news, research and technology, safety, training, weather, and additional lessons learned, with newer sites noted by date of establishment. The Center can be found at http://www.wildfirelessons.net.

Considering the increasing number of wildfires occurring in the U.S. each year, accompanied by the growing drought problem in several states, the EMR-ISAC encourages genuine proactivity regarding wildfire prevention and protection. More information on this subject is available at the USFA website.

Protecting Sensitive Emergency Services Information

Sensitive Emergency Services Sector (ESS) information generally consists of data about the personnel, equipment, structures, operations, plans, and training of emergency departments and agencies (e.g., fire, EMS, police, emergency management, and 9-1-1 call centers). Information of this type is particularly susceptible to adversary intelligence collection because it can be used to weaken or destroy the survivability, continuity, and response-ability of ESS organizations.

The information that domestic and transnational terrorists need to disrupt or incapacitate emergency operations is exactly the information that must be protected. As a reminder to ESS decision makers, the following non-inclusive listing exemplifies the type of organizational information that must be seriously considered for removal from websites, newsletters, bulletins, and other communication tools that could be accessed by those with malicious intentions:

• Personnel information
• Detailed operational capabilities
• Standard operating procedures
• Operations plans
• HazMat training
• Communications capabilities
• Response times and routes
• Personal protective equipment
• Automatic and mutual aid agreements
• Vendor information

Rapid MRSA Test

After learning this month that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared for marketing the first rapid blood test for the drug-resistant staph bacterium, known as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), the Emergency Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) contacted the manufacturer to determine when this critical infrastructure resilience (CIR) tool would be available for members of the Emergency Services Sector (ESS).

With the BD GeneOhm StaphSR Assay, a first responder can be tested for possible MRSA infection as soon as symptoms appear, and receive results in two hours versus the two days needed for standard testing. Such fast results enable expedited treatment, a quicker return to service, and an answer to whether fellow personnel are being exposed to MRSA. The rapid treatment and early return to work enhance the CIR (i.e., resiliency) of the individual and his/her emergency department.

The new test detects a gene sequence that is unique to the drug-resistant strain of the staph bacterium. When detected in a positive blood culture, appropriate interventions can be implemented quickly for those who carry it, the costs of unnecessary isolation can be avoided, and unnecessary or inappropriate antibiotics would not be administered. Considering the death in November 2007 of a 33-year-old firefighter who fought to survive for nearly two weeks before his MRSA infection was finally identified, news of the availability of a two-hour MRSA test is a positive development.

The test’s manufacturer, BD Diagnostics, confirmed that it will begin shipping the tests next week to hospital labs throughout the U.S. that have ordered it. Additional information about the specific test is available at www.bd.com/geneohm. Access the MRSA Watch website and request no-cost regular electronic updates of MRSA news.

An overview of the growing MRSA threat to emergency personnel can be seen in an early InfoGram article, followed by subsequent articles on topics such as MRSA contamination in ambulances.

Management of EMS Course

The U. S. Fire Administration (USFA) invites members of the Emergency Services Sector (ESS) to apply to attend the upcoming pilot class for the newly revised two-week course, P150 - Management of Emergency Medical Services (MEMS), to be held at the National Emergency Training Center in Emmitsburg, Maryland, June 9�20, 2008.

The course focuses on management practices as they relate to the Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Described as interactive and fast-moving, the course aims to enable participants to deal more effectively with day-to-day management issues likely to be encountered by supervisory-level managers. Personnel, resource management, and research and quality improvement techniques will be emphasized, with an overall goal of having participants enhance the quality and general effectiveness of their EMS operation through the use of management techniques.

The target audience for the course includes individuals with management responsibility for part of an EMS delivery system (e.g., a fire department, a hospital, or a public or private EMS agency), and those with decision-making responsibility within an EMS system (e.g., EMS council membership, EMS program management/coordination, training, medical control, etc.) Prerequisites for the P150 course are IS700 and IS800; ICS-100 and ICS-200 or equivalent.

Applicants must complete the General Admissions Form (FEMA Form 75-5), and submit it on or before April 1, 2008. For additional information about the course or the pilot offering, contact Training Specialist John Brasko.