InfoGram 23-10: June 10, 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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Emergency Equipment Security

The Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) continues to receive information regarding the theft of property belonging to the departments and agencies of the Emergency Services Sector (ESS). Many chief officers of ESS organizations having experienced theft of equipment and vehicles reported that these incidents potentially compromise the public safety services provided by emergency responders.

The frequency of these events motivated the EMR-ISAC to offer theft prevention recommendations in InfoGram 13-10. However, more recent occurrences prompted the Miramar Fire-Rescue Department (Miramar, FL) to publish the following additional suggestions edited by the EMR-ISAC for the consideration of ESS personnel nationwide:

• Assign someone to remain with vehicles and apparatus to provide security at incident scenes.
• Maintain active observation of vehicles and apparatus at hospitals, training events, etc., when it is not feasible to assign a “static guard.”
• Lock vehicles and equipment whenever and wherever possible.
• Ensure all stations and facilities are secured at all times.

Considering that emergency equipment thefts could possibly degrade a department’s response capabilities, ESS organizations interested in improving their general physical security may find some value in the Security in the Workplace paper, of which the U.S. General Services Administration is the primary source. Another tool for thought is the Integrated Physical Security Handbook (PDF, 141 Kb).

Stand Down Recommendation

The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) notified the Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) that it recommends all fire chiefs and officers to immediately issue a stand down due to two separate, but similar confined space rescue incidents, which nearly took the lives of several firefighters.

“In recent weeks, incidents involving confined space rescues in both Ohio and Indiana left initial civilian victims dead and firefighters critically injured,” stated Chief Billy Goldfeder, chair of the IAFC Safety, Health, and Survival Section. “In both cases, while heroic attempts were made to save the victims, firefighters ended up becoming victims themselves.” Confined space and similar technical rescues are high-risk, but low-frequency events, said Chief Jeff Johnson, IAFC president. “The rarer the incident type, the more likely that fire and EMS personnel may be unaware of, unprepared for, or even forget proper procedures as they race to rescue a victim.”

According to IAFC, during a stand down, personnel are directed to postpone non-emergency tasks to focus on critical safety training. The EMR-ISAC learned that at this time chiefs are requested to have their personnel quickly review and discuss applicable departmental policies and procedures to minimize the risk to first responders in confined space and related technical rescue events.
In addition to federal, state, and local laws, IAFC identified a number of online resources for fire and emergency medical services (EMS) rank and file to use in this stand down and in their ongoing efforts to educate personnel on technical rescue operations.

Chemical Security Workshop

In cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Infrastructure Protection and the New York State Office of Homeland Security, the Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) announces the 2010 Chemical Security Workshop (PDF, 1.6 MB), 22 September, at the GM Power Train Tonawanda Engine Plant in Buffalo, NY.

According to the New York State Chemical Alliance, Chemical Sector owners and operators should consider having an incident management plan for an active-shooter event or hostage taking at their facility. The New York State Chemical Alliance in partnership with the New York State Office of Homeland Security will address this need at its next Chemical Security Workshop in late September.

The one-day facilitated program will be aimed at fostering effective communication between facilities and their local emergency response teams during active-shooter or hostage-taking incidents. It will also focus on first responder and chemical facility coordination, interoperability, communications protocols, best practices, and integration of local assets. Familiarization and accountability between chemical facilities and their local Emergency Services Sector departments and agencies will be emphasized.

The EMR-ISAC confirmed there is no registration fee for attendees. The registration form can be sent by facsimile to the New York State Office of Homeland Security at 518-485-8469. More information can be obtained by sending email to exercise@security.state.ny.us or to ChemicalSector@dhs.gov.

National Fire Service Resource Guide

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) recently released the National Fire Service Resource Guide (PDF, 2.1 Mb). The Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) ascertained that this one-stop reference source provides fire and emergency medical services (EMS) departments with quick information regarding topics of importance to the emergency services, such as retention and recruitment, grants and funding, health and safety, governance, training, and much more.

This Guide includes a compilation of available resources and tools first responder departments can refer to for each topic, as well as tips and guidance to help with local initiatives. See the NVFC Website for more information about this document.