InfoGram 1-09: January 08, 2009

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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Critical Infrastructure Public-Private Partnership

In its recent "Critical Infrastructure Partnership Strategic Assessment," the National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC) assessed the effectiveness of the public-private partnership for critical infrastructure protection and recommended opportunities to strengthen it. The public-private partnership to protect the nation's critical infrastructures is a collaboration that has been growing and maturing since the 1990s. The partnership aligns the interests of the public and private sectors to work together toward the shared goal of secure and resilient infrastructures without the need for excessive regulation.

Upon reviewing the NIAC report, the Emergency Management and Response – nformation Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) reconfirmed that national critical infrastructures, such as the emergency services, "are the lifeblood of our country." As an indispensable part of America's backbone, the emergency services are essential to everyday safety, health, and security. The NIAC stated, "We have a national interest to ensure these infrastructures continue to be robust, reliable, and resilient in the face of possible natural or man-made risks."

The NIAC avowed that "the public-private partnership represents the best long-term strategy to secure our critical infrastructures." Its principal finding is that future government efforts "at all levels" to promote critical infrastructure protection and resilience must embrace a full-fledged partnership between the public and private sectors. The NIAC assessment states: "The advantage of this collaborative approach is that it facilitates the development of trusted relationships that are essential in times of crisis and allows for constructive engagement in developing policies and programs during periods of relative calm."

In its assessment, the NIAC recommended the adoption of four major public-private partnership principles by federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal governments. The EMR-ISAC summarized the principles as follows, particularly for the benefit of the nation's emergency managers and responders:

• A compelling rationale to participate must be articulated and reaffirmed to sustain private sector participation in the partnership.
• Protection and resilience measures must be complementary elements of an integrated risk management strategy, because both are needed for security and the reality of operational continuity.
• A strong commitment from leaders in both the public and private sectors is essential to build key relationships, set priorities, take collective action, and allocate resources to address threats and vulnerabilities.
• Trusted relationships among public and private sector organizations are central to an effective partnership.

Download the entire NIAC assessment (PDF, 64 pages, 500 Kb)

LODD Prevention

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) released "Leading Recommendations for Preventing Fire Fighter Fatalities, 1998-2005," that summarizes the most frequent recommendations from the first eight years of the NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program (FFFIPP). It was compiled to help Emergency Services Sector (ESS) departments and agencies protect personnel, their foremost critical infrastructure, by developing, updating, and implementing effective policies, programs, and training to prevent Line-of Duty Deaths (LODD).

The report synthesizes 1,286 individual recommendations from the 335 FFFIPP investigations conducted through 2005. The investigations, which involved 372 LODDs, encompassed circumstances such as cardiovascular-related deaths, motor vehicle accidents, structure fires, diving incidents, and electrocutions in career, volunteer, and combination departments in both urban and rural settings throughout the United States.

The recommendations were developed by NIOSH investigators using existing fire service standards, guidelines, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and other relevant resources. NIOSH personnel reviewed records, such as police, medical, and victims' work/training records, as well as departmental procedures, and examined the incident site and equipment used, including personal protective equipment. The Emergency Management and Response – Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) notes that for each of the ten recommendation categories that follow, the report presents an overview of the category, category recommendations, a case example of a fatality investigation report summary, ESS department self-assessment questions, and key resources.

• Medical screening
• Fitness and wellness
• Standard operating procedures and guidelines (SOPs)
• Communications
• Incident command
• Motor vehicle
• Personal protective equipment
• Strategies and tactics
• Rapid intervention team
• Staffing

Download the report (PDF, 56 pages, 829 Kb)

EOP Templates

Templates to create an Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) that can be modified by Emergency Services Sector (ESS) departments and agencies in any municipality are available online.

The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) Preparedness Division collaborated with county and city emergency planners to draft the set of templates to streamline the process of developing and maintaining an EOP for local jurisdictions.

The template package offers a complete EOP outline with instructions and examples of items that may be applicable to different institutions. National Incident Management System (NIMS) elements are highlighted to help localities develop a plan that can easily coordinate with other local government EOPs. The Emergency Management and Response – nformation Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) reminds localities to review and modify all items to fit their specific needs.

Download the template

2009 CIP Resolution

The past year saw modest enhancements in the disciplines of critical infrastructure protection and resilience. Nationwide efforts continued within the Emergency Services Sector during 2008 to reduce or eliminate the threats from terrorism and natural disasters. However, every new day brings new threat possibilities. Although no specific terrorist threat has been identified, America's enemies remain determined to attack particularly soft targets because of the perceived lack of security related to the openness or exposure of personnel, physical assets, and communication/cyber systems (i.e., critical infrastructures). Furthermore, while flooding, drought, and wildfires remain a major concern, no one can accurately forecast what "Mother Nature" will do this New Year.

Recognizing the possibility of future terrorist or nature attacks, the leaders, owners, and operators of the nation's emergency services can resolve to proactively practice the protection and resilience of internal critical infrastructures essential for continuity of operations and mission success. For 2009, the Emergency Management and Response – Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) specifically advocates the revision and rehearsal of plans, procedures, and guidelines to emphasize prevention and protection activities as well as response and recovery actions.

Identifying and reducing the vulnerabilities of internal critical infrastructures will bolster prevention and protection, and make the infrastructures more resilient to both man-made and natural calamities.

There are time-efficient, relatively simple, low-cost methods to reduce or eliminate threats and vulnerabilities. Some are limited more by imagination than by time and money. A few useful recommendations can be seen in the CIP Job Aid (2nd Edition, August 2007, PDF, 4.5 Mb) and also in the free CIP DVD (FA-308) that can be ordered through the USFA Publications Catalog.

The EMR-ISAC extends its best wishes for great success throughout 2009 with the selection and application of protection and resilience measures appropriate for each first responder organization and its community.