InfoGram 48-09: December 10, 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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DHS Infrastructure Protection Training Programs

When searching for available training programs dedicated to the protection of critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR), the Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) staff contacted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Protective Security Coordination Division (PSCD).  The PSCD offers training programs specifically designed to develop terrorist threat awareness among state, local, and private sector entities.  These programs also educate participants on strategies for detecting and mitigating terrorist threats. 

The PSCD Office for Bombing Prevention (OBP) delivers the following free workshops and courses in coordination with State Homeland Security Officials and State Training Offices:

• Private Sector Counterterrorism Awareness Workshop.  This workshop improves the knowledge of private sector security professionals by providing exposure to key elements of soft target awareness, surveillance detection, and improvised explosive device (IED) recognition.
• Bombing Prevention Workshop.  Intended for regional level public and private stakeholders and planners from emergency management, security, and law enforcement, this workshop enhances effectiveness in managing a bombing incident.
• IED Awareness / Bomb Threat Management Workshop.  Because IED attacks are the primary tactic of terrorists, this workshop enhances and strengthens the participant’s knowledge, skills, and abilities in relation to the IED threat.
• IED Search Procedures.  The lectures and practical exercises of this workshop are geared toward security personnel and facility managers of sites hosting or supporting special security events.
• Soft Target Awareness Course.  This course for facility managers, supervisors, operators, and security personnel enhances individual and organizational awareness on terrorism, and provides a better understanding of their roles in deterring, detecting, and defending against terrorism.
• Protective Measures Course.  Designed to enhance commercial sector individual and organizational awareness on how to devalue, detect, deter, and defend facilities from terrorism, this course imparts the knowledge and skills necessary to understand common vulnerabilities and employ effective protective measures.
• Surveillance Detection Course for Municipal Officials, State, and Local Law Enforcement.  This training provides the knowledge and skills necessary to establish surveillance detection operations to protect CIKR during periods of elevated threat.
• Surveillance Detection Course for Commercial Infrastructure Operators and Security Staff.  The objective of this training is to explain how protective measures can be applied to detect and deter potential threats to CIKR, as well as the fundamentals for detecting surveillance activity.

For additional information—not scheduling—about these programs, the EMR-ISAC recommends that Emergency Services Sector training leaders contact the DHS Office of Bombing Prevention at OBP@dhs.gov or 703-235-5723.    

National Infrastructure Protection Month

On 2 December, President Barack Obama issued a proclamation declaring December 2009 to be “critical infrastructure protection month.”  The Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) observed that the proclamation underscores the vital importance of the efforts and achievements of countless personnel in the public and private sectors regarding the protection and resilience of national, state, and local critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR). 

During Critical Infrastructure Protection Month, President Obama said “we rededicate ourselves to safeguarding and strengthening our Nation's infrastructure.”  He declared that “members of the public and private sectors should work with their appropriate state, regional, and local authorities to engage in critical infrastructure protection activities being coordinated across the country.”

From energy systems that power neighborhoods, to transportation networks that facilitate movement, to emergency services that protect people and property, CIKR impacts nearly every aspect of our daily lives, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Under Secretary for National Protection and Programs Directorate, Rand Beers.  “While this critical infrastructure creates enormous benefits, services, and opportunities, we must be mindful of the risks posed to CIKR by terrorists, pandemic diseases, and natural disasters.”  He cautioned that these threats have the potential to disrupt or deny large numbers of citizens from clean water, electrical power, communications, emergency response, etc.

Under Secretary Beers additionally confirmed that the 2009 National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) is at the “heart” of CIKR protection and resilience. This latest issue of the NIPP recognized the indispensable roles performed by Emergency Services Sector (ESS) organizations that enable Americans to enjoy standards of living exceeding most countries of the world.  The document also encourages CIKR sectors (e.g., the emergency services) to initiate measures that enhance the protection and resiliency of the fundamental services upon which citizens depend.

Visit the DHS Infrastructure Protection Web page for more information about protecting the internal infrastructures of ESS departments and agencies.

Hazardous Materials Training

Hazardous materials (hazmat) are used daily to heat homes, produce electricity, clean water, fuel cars, construct buildings, fertilize crops, create medicines, and manufacture clothing as well as many other essential commodities.  Recognizing that hazmat transportation introduces some inherent risks to the public and Emergency Services Sector (ESS), the Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) examined “What You Should Know: A Guide to Developing a Hazardous Materials Training Program” (PDF, 578.5 Kb) published by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

Increased hazardous transports place an additional burden on communities, particularly firefighters and other first responders. For this reason and others, the Guide explains the training requirements of employees performing functions related to handling, packaging, storing, moving, loading and unloading hazardous materials, and responding to emergency situations while such materials are in transportation. 

According to the DOT, human error is a contributing cause for most hazmat movement incidents.  The Guide states: “Hazmat incidents caused by human error can be reduced through the implementation of an effective training program.”  ESS departments and agencies can consult this document to understand the training requirements in the Hazardous Materials Regulations, and appreciate how to work together with hazmat transportation employees when necessitated by a major hazmat transportation disaster.  

Coffee Break Training: Abandoned Buildings

The Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) learned that the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) published “Coffee Break Training-Special Blend:  Abandoned Buildings” (PDF, 178 Kb) to honor the six firefighters who died in the December 3, 1999 warehouse fire in Worchester, Massachusetts.  Considering the current economic climate, the document acknowledges the increase of abandoned buildings and offers the following recommendations to avoid a repeat of history:

• Visit all abandoned buildings and perform a risk assessment.
• Communicate the risk assessment and action plan to all emergency response personnel.
• Check fire protection systems for operational status and require repairs when necessary.
• Assure that the building is secure from trespass and adequately boarded up.  The USFA provides board up procedures and techniques.  (PDF, 133.3 Kb)
• Mark the building with “Keep Out” and special warning signs, such as the Urban Search and Rescue Structure Hazards Evaluation Marking.  (PDF, 111.5 Kb)
• Verify that all utilities have been shut off and properly secured.
• Ensure that all combustibles, flammables, and hazardous materials have been removed from inside and outside the building.
• Ask neighbors to report any suspicious activity or additional deterioration right away.
• Pursue appropriate legal action to have the hazard abated through repair, renovation, or demolition.
• Schedule regular company inspections to verify conditions have not deteriorated, and to take action if they have.

In the 1999 USFA technical report: Abandoned Cold Storage Warehouse Multi-Firefighter Fatality Fire Worcester, Massachusetts (PDF, 1.0 Mb) the EMR-ISAC observed several lessons learned, which are summarized as follows for the benefit of the nation’s fire service: 

• Abandoned buildings remain a serious threat to the fire service and a danger to the communities in which they stand.
• Firefighters must make a concerted effort to know the buildings in their response district.
• Fire prevention efforts should be maximized in abandoned and temporarily vacated building to avoid fires in the first place.
• Fire departments should continue to grow their file information on buildings in their communities.
• Large buildings such as warehouses and high-rises merit unique search techniques and tools.

The EMR-ISAC also noted that Deputy U.S. Fire Administrator Glenn Gaines reflected on the Worchester warehouse in tragedy in the Chief’s Corner, and asked fire departments to perform a status check on the mitigation of vacant and abandoned buildings. 

Technology Alert

The Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) was alerted to the National Weather Service (NWS) new national fire weather page.  A key component is an interactive map that examines the national fire weather and can zoom in to any location.  A bubble will appear and give access to the fire weather forecast, 7-day point forecast, hourly weather graph, and any fire weather watches, red flag warnings, or hazardous weather outlooks that have been issued.