InfoGram 36-08: September 18, 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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Protecting the Homeland

"Protecting the Homeland" means much more than securing the borders and preventing acts of terrorism, according to a recent message from the president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) reviewed by the Emergency Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC). The message asserts that the phrase, "Protecting the Homeland," must also encompass addressing the violent crimes and illegal drugs that are creating problems for American communities and potentially jeopardizing local critical infrastructure.

In his paper, "To Protect and Defend," IACP President Ronald Ruecker explained that first responders and citizens throughout the country face increasing threats to their safety and well-being, not only from terrorists, but also from criminals. "In fact, in the years since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, 99,000 Americans have been murdered, and each year roughly 1.4 million Americans are the victims of violent crime."

The continuing wave of crime and victimization has many causes that need to be considered and evaluated as part of a concerted national effort to mitigate and ultimately prevent violent criminal activity. In response to this need, the IACP outlined some of the major homeland security and public safety challenges facing the United States today:

• Reducing violent crime.
• Addressing gang violence and gang migration.
• Reducing firearms violence and targeting illegal guns.
• Combating illegal narcotics.
• Ensuring adequate funding for state, tribal, and local law enforcement.
• Securing the borders and enhancing federal immigration enforcement.
• Focusing on terrorism prevention.
• Promoting intelligence and information sharing.
• Adopting a broad-based homeland security strategy.
• Protecting civil rights and civil liberties.
• Strengthening the administration of justice.

For more details regarding the current challenges to homeland security and public safety, see the IACP document (PDF, 106 Kb).

Developing Strong Relationships

Those attending the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Integrated Emergency Management Course (IEMC) learn the expected roles of local leaders during an emergency. They also learn that through continued interagency planning and training, essential relationships are forged by having to work together to solve problems and implement quality preparedness.

Looking closer at the significance of developing strong relationships, the Emergency Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) confirmed that frequent human interaction is a key ingredient to overcome barriers to emergency preparedness and infrastructure protection. An examination of disaster responses since 2004 indicate that functional interoperability can be enhanced by effective interagency relationships based on trust, respect, and a genuine concern for the community. Recent disasters further indicate that constructive interdependence among the infrastructure sectors of a municipality will make a considerable difference in the actual implementation of communication, coordination, and collaboration.

To create a seamless interoperable network for survivability and continuity, IEMC course discussions encourage community support organizations plan and exercise together to protect, prevent, and respond to man-made and natural disasters. A new culture of interagency proactivity and teamwork can ensure that the strengths and weaknesses of all responding organizations are fully recognized and resolved. The EMR-ISAC adds that infrastructure protection is often dependent upon the quality and success of interagency relationships within and among American communities.

More information about developing relationships can be seen in the article at AmericanCityandCounty.com.

ESS Faces Random Violence

Reports from fire and law enforcement media sources regarding Emergency Services Sector (ESS) personnel, who encounter active shooters during emergency responses, suggest that defensive skills could increase the protection and survivability of first responders.

According to these reports, responders are being targeted increasingly at "routine" incidents, such as traffic accidents and EMS calls, situations that for decades have not evoked an undue sense of heightened alarm among ESS personnel. Although emergency responders are not complacent, and are trained to "expect the unexpected," the Emergency Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) offers the following awareness considerations abbreviated from Firehouse.com:

• Be aware of police presence upon arrival at incident scenes. Consider staging on a nearby block, without emergency lights, until confirmation is received that the scene is under control.
• Use body armor, if available, and wear helmets and turnout trousers to be recognizable by law enforcement as ESS members.
• Stand to the side, never in front, of entry doors to dwellings and apartments, and communicate loudly and clearly that responders are present.
• Remain aware of the locations of non-victim occupants at the scene; attempt to administer to victim near exit, and, depending on available staffing, stage a member with radio immediately outside exit door.
• Remember that shooters sometimes return to the scene.
• Try to avoid being distracted by the extreme reactions (e.g., rage) of bystanders, friends, or relatives of the victim, or drawn into volatile interactions with them.
• Become familiar enough with firearms to safely secure them at the scene without harm to self or others.
• Trust "gut feelings." If a perilous situation threatens crew safety, move out and call for assistance. Crew survival is a priority and the leader's responsibility.

The article's author also poses questions about future ramifications for the emergency services given repeated random acts of violence. For instance, would such acts justify increased staffing? Necessitate personal protective equipment reinforced with body armor, or apparatus with bullet-proof features? To view the complete article, visit Firehouse.com.

Community Emergency Response Teams

The inaugural issue of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) quarterly National CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) Newsletter contains articles that reinforce the contributions of CERTs as Emergency Services Sector (ESS) force multipliers.

As FEMA Administrator David Paulison states in a letter introducing the new newsletter, "CERT members lead the way in taking personal responsibility for preparedness and assistance to professional first responders during disasters. Since professional responders make up just 1% of the population, CERTs in our neighborhoods, schools, and the workplace should help all of us sleep better at night. CERT members not only step up to provide support for emergency response in their communities, they also volunteer with other Citizen Corps Partner Programs and Affiliates when the call goes out."

The Emergency Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) notes the first newsletter includes helpful information about CERT in action, local CERT exercises, local CERT training, and more. Volume 1�Issue 1 of the national newsletter can be seen at CitizenCorps.gov (PDF, 2.9 Mb).

More information about CERTs and getting a new program started can be accessed at www.citizencorps.gov/cert.