InfoGram 14-10: April 8, 2010

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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Green Building Fire Safety Program

Recognizing that “green buildings” are becoming a popular building construction design for the purpose of conserving energy and resources, the Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) identified a new Website devoted to “green buildings” and fire safety. This site is the result of initiatives by the National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM) to develop tools to facilitate the sharing and disseminating of information on the fire safety of “green buildings.” Although the primary target audience is the fire service, “every effort is being made to address all stakeholders.”

The EMR-ISAC acknowledges that these novel building techniques may alter the traditional environment not only for first responders, but also for code planning and enforcement officials. Considering the current momentum of such building innovations, the focus of the program is the development of three primary resources:

• An interactive online forum/clearinghouse for sharing information on the various aspects of fire safety in “green buildings.”
• Guidelines for first responders facing unconventional building configurations.
• Guidelines for municipal and local code enforcement officials faced with permitting and inspecting “green buildings” that may include unusual features that challenge the permitting process and require the contemplation of significantly different designs.

According to the NASFM, “It’s a matter of making the fire service aware, from a safety point of view, of the kinds of techniques and technologies and practices that are going on as part of the ‘green building’ movement.”

Emergency Responder Safety Alert

Although not a frequent event, emergency vehicles and trains have collided occasionally as exemplified by a recent incident in the Detroit area. Sometimes, these accidents result the line of duty death of a first responder. The Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) learned that the AMTRAK Office of Emergency Preparedness published a Safety Alert (PDF, 616 Kb) reminding emergency responders of appropriate actions when responding to incidents on, or in close proximity to railroad property.

In this Safety Alert, AMTRAK emphasized the following matters for consideration prior to and during operations at railroad locations:

• Know what railroad company controls train movement on the tracks that run through your response area.
• Make sure your communications center and dispatcher have the proper emergency telephone contact numbers for the railroad companies operating within your jurisdiction.
• If the railroad in your area of responsibility is equipped with an AC or DC overhead catenary system or DC 3rd rail system used for traction power, know what railroads controls those systems.
• Pre-plan with the railroads that run through your response area as you would for a target hazard building.

The EMR-ISAC confirmed that more safety information and training possibilities can be acquired by contacting Larry Beard, AMTRAK Senior Director of Emergency Preparedness, 60 Massachusetts Avenue, Washington, DC 20002, 202-906-3889, beardl@amtrak.com.

Responding to CBRNE Attacks

The leaders, owners, and operators of America’s Emergency Services Sector (ESS) have repeatedly heard from government sources and commissions that domestic and transnational terrorists are becoming more sophisticated and dangerous. Consequently, many ESS organizations and their localities have been preparing for possible attacks using chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosive (CBRNE) weapons or devices. The Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) noted that several jurisdictions have already held exercises to test their plans and responses to CBRNE attacks.

According to the article, “Responding to CBRNE Attacks: A Quick Primer,” contained within the March issue of the DomPrep Journal (PDF, 5.4 Mb), Jennifer Smither wrote that lessons were learned and shared by those municipalities where these exercises had been conducted. The EMR-ISAC summarized some of the lessons learned as reported by the author:

• First responders to the site of a potential CBRNE incident should stop and evaluate the situation from 300 feet outside the debris field to minimize the risk of unnecessary exposure or detonation of a secondary device.
• After detecting what seems to be a contamination source, first responders should immediately secure the surrounding area.
• After closing down the surrounding area, emergency officials should then clearly label and control the contaminated zones.
• The safety officer should clearly segregate contaminated areas with colored cones, police tape, and/or other visible markers so cross-contamination can be avoided.
• Emergency officials should stop and park rescue vehicles outside the suspected contaminated area or blast perimeter.
• The on-site staging officer should arrange parking for rescue vehicles that allows for rapid egress.

Ms. Smither’s concluded that jurisdictions at all levels of government must prepare to meet the threat posed by a possible CBRNE attack. “The first moments immediately following such an attack are critical to the success of the response.”

More information on this subject can be seen in the Preparedness and Prevention Act of 2009 (PDF, 20 Kb) and Homeland Security Presidential Directive 18 (Medical Countermeasures against Weapons of Mass Destruction).

DHSI Secure Portal Continuation

Emergency Services Sector (ESS) personnel who have been vetted to receive Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) For Official Use Only (FOUO) Notices may have seen an announcement stating DHS-Interactive (DHSI) will be decommissioned on 31 March. Please disregard this notification. The EMR-ISAC confirmed that the “Closing Down” alert does not apply to ESS personnel validated to receive the CIP (FOUO) Notices.

ESS leaders who have been accessing the EMR-ISAC CIP (FOUO) Notices via DHSI will be able to continue doing so for another 90 days and maybe longer. When the Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN) is ready for use by the ESS, sector personnel will be transitioned away from DHSI to a HSIN secure portal for the purpose of accessing the sensitive (FOUO) information disseminated by the EMR-ISAC.

To prepare for the transition from DHSI to HSIN, the EMR-ISAC contacted numerous individuals whose identifying information was incomplete or incorrect. These personnel were requested to provide seven pieces of information to ensure their continued validation to receive the FOUO documents. If you receive the FOUO notices and have not been contacted or have not already provided the requested information, please consider updating your contact information to ease the revalidation process and eventual transition from one system to the other. Therefore, FOUO recipients who have not already done so are requested to submit the following to emr-isac@fema.dhs.gov: (1) full name, (2) official work email address, (3) work organization name, (4) work phone number, (5) official postal mailing address, (6) official duty position/title, and (7) indicate if you occupy a leadership or supervisory position. Be assured that this information will NOT be shared with anyone.

To eliminate any concerns or confusion, the EMR-ISAC will provide additional information in advance of the transition from DHSI to HSIN. However, if you have questions about the requested information or this eventual improvement in service, please contact this Center at emr-isac@fema.dhs.gov or at 301-447-1325.