InfoGram 6-10: February 11, 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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Special Events Security

The Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) reviewed the January 2010 Issue of the Domestic Preparedness Journal (PDF, 3.76 MB), entirely focused on preparing, planning, and protecting “Special Events.” According to the Editor’s Notes, “Special Events” are defined as major events of special significance and/or at which very large crowds are expected. The editor-in-chief further explained that these events generate “reams of pre-event publicity, a much increased need for special security precautions, and months of advance planning to prepare for all possible dangers and contingencies.”

Recognizing the support of Emergency Services Sector (ESS) departments and agencies will be required with all phases of “Special Events” preparation and execution, the EMR-ISAC assessed that this particular issue of the “DomPrep Journal” (DPJ) may have pragmatic information value for ESS organizations. Such events are especially demanding for emergency managers who have much to consider before, during, and after each occurrence.

The January DPJ issue concentrates on several facets of “Special Events,” and includes the knowledgeable views of several stakeholders who are major players in the immensely complicated planning to ensure crowd and community safety in events having the potential of quickly escalating into mass-casualty incidents.

FEMA releases Draft National Disaster Recovery Framework

The Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) learned that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the Interagency Long Term Disaster Recovery Working Group, released a draft of the National Disaster Recovery Framework (PDF, 833 KB), which is focused on engaging state, local, and tribal governments, nonprofit partners, the private sector, and the public to enhance the nation’s ability to recover from disasters.

According to the FEMA News Release, a comment period will be available when the Recovery Framework is posted to the Federal Register, and run from 15 to 26 February. It can be found at www.regulations.gov in Docket FEMA-2010-0004. Individuals and other stakeholders who wish to submit comments can do so at “regulations.gov,” using the Docket Identification Number (FEMA-2010-0004) as a search term.

The EMR-ISAC understands that the Recovery Framework provides “a model to collectively identify and address challenges that arise during the disaster recovery process—designed to help the broad emergency management community work better together to support individuals, households, and communities as they rebuild and restore their ways of life following a disaster.”

For more information about the Recovery Framework, visit http://www.fema.gov/recoveryframework.

First Response and Autism

In its brochure, “On the Scene and Informed—First Response and Autism,” the New York State Office of Mental Retardation & Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD) revealed that Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are the fastest growing developmental disability in the U.S. OMRDD further clarified that ASDs affect people of all races, genders, and economic groups.

When examining the OMRDD brochure, the Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) noted the following facts about people with ASDs, because of the tremendous social, sensory, and communication challenges these disorders present:

• Four to ten-fold greater risk than most citizens of becoming victims of crime.
• Seven times more likely than most to come in contact with first responders.
• May respond to police intervention in ways suggesting aggression, flight, or noncompliance.
• Might require special consideration and emergency response techniques.

The EMR-ISAC also observed that OMRDD encourages Emergency Services Sector (ESS) personnel to understand ASDs, recognize what is really happening in a situation involving someone with an ASD, and to comprehend how to modify response methods to avoid unfortunate and unnecessary outcomes for the person with an ASD as well as ESS responders.

To guide emergency responders when assisting an individual with an ASD, the OMRDD suggests looking for any identifying card, bracelet, body tattoo or window sticker in a vehicle alerting to the fact that the person is on the autism spectrum. Additionally, the specialists recommend asking those present—including the individual suspected of having an ASD—if the person has an ASD. “The answer to the question may change the way ESS personnel intervene and could dramatically improve the outcome for everyone involved.”

Adversary Elicitation

Understanding the dangers of sensitive information elicitation by our nation’s adversaries and, therefore, the threat to Emergency Services Sector (ESS) departments and agencies, the Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) reviewed the Department of Homeland (DHS) brochure: “Elicitation—Would You Recognize It?” (PDF, 991 KB).

According to this brochure, “Many professionals encourage conversation, especially discussion of theories, concepts, and plans. It’s a spy’s dream come true!” ESS organizations, in particular, have an abundance of information about emergency plans, operations, training, etc., that has high value to antagonist intelligence collectors.

From this brochure, the EMR-ISAC obtained the following recommendations for any situation in which a first responder is drawn into an uncomfortable or suspicious conversation:

• Do not tell anyone information they are not authorized to hear, including personal and professional information about you or your colleagues.
• Ignore any question you think is improper and change the topic.
• Deflect the question with one of your own.
• Give a nondescript (i.e., unremarkable or insignificant) answer.
• Say you don’t know the answer to the question.

State that you must first check with your Security Office before answering the question.