InfoGram 20-12: May 16, 2012

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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Social Media Trends in Emergencies

Organizations in the field of emergency management are adjusting their outreach policies and procedures due to the noticeable shift towards social media as a communications method during disasters and other emergencies.  The American Red Cross conducted a survey on uses of social media and found:

• 1/3 of respondents would use social media to alert family and friends that they were safe.
• 80% felt that emergency response organizations should monitor social media sites regularly.
• The internet is the third most popular way for the public to gather information about emergencies.

Examples of the above points were clearly illustrated during the Virginia earthquake in 2011, when people in New York received Tweets about the earthquake before they even felt the tremors.

As social media mechanisms like Twitter and Facebook are becoming a constant in society, emergency services personnel are also turning to such sites to gather valuable information during natural disasters or emergencies.  The American Red Cross has opened a Digital Operations Center jointly with Dell to monitor social media during disasters and identify a community’s needs in order to better coordinate the response.

This trend is likely to continue to affect emergency, disaster, and relief agencies, as is described in the Emergency Management Magazine article “Five Ways Social Media is Changing Emergency Management.”

(Source: Homeland Security Newswire)

Building and Infrastructure Protection Series

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released the second edition of Primer to Design Safe School Projects in Case of Terrorist Attacks and School Shootings (PDF, 33.98 MB).  Ensuring the safety of children is a considerable task, but the process of physically securing schools must take into account many variables such as design, age of the buildings, and other community uses of the school.

The guide uses examples of actual events to describe active shooter, sniper, hostage-taking, and bombing scenarios.  It discusses layers of defense, the issue of acceptable risk, and various levels of protective measures schools can take.

DHS and the FBI encourage recipients of this document to report information concerning suspicious or criminal activity to the local FBI office and also the State or Major Urban Area Fusion Center.

For information specifically affecting the private sector critical infrastructure contact the National Infrastructure Coordinating Center by phone at 202-282-9201, or by email at nicc@dhs.gov.

The report is part of the Building and Infrastructure Protection Series (BIPS) produced by DHS Science and Technology Directorate Infrastructure Protection and Disaster Management Division. The 10 BIPS primers, manuals, and software tools available include topics such as structural collapse, building stabilization, shoring, and visual screening of mass transit stations, tunnels, and buildings.

The publication series aims to provide risk assessment guidance on multi-hazard events to help improve the resilience of the country’s buildings and infrastructure.  The objective is to lessen damage and reduce possible casualties to manmade and natural disasters.

(Source: DHS)

Responder Safety Learning Network

The Emergency Responder Safety Institute (ERSI) has created the largest single online hub for roadway emergency responder information and training with the recent addition of the training program Responder Safety Learning Network.  The program was developed with a Fire Prevention and Safety Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Courses added in 2012 include Blocking, Advanced Warning, and the National Unified Goal for Traffic Incident Management.  Other courses will be added throughout the year.  All courses are developed and vetted with the support of leaders within emergency services fields from the federal, state, and local levels.

The free training is available via computer, tablet, or smartphone and is targeted toward fire, police, EMS, towing/recovery, and transportation departments at all levels of government.  The program uses an online login; user accounts will track course completion and will store transcripts.  If the user completes the online test for each module, certificates are available for tracking professional development.

(Source: ResponderSafety.com)

CSX Launches Railroad Safety Course

Railroad freight transportation company CSX Corporation now hosts an online training program aimed to educate emergency personnel on how to safely respond to emergencies on and around railroad property and equipment.  CSXSafe is a four-part program including basic information on safety, CSX operation, initial response, and railroad equipment.

The program takes less than an hour to complete and provides the student with a certificate of completion after a brief quiz.  The student will also be able to view in-person training opportunities being offered across the CSX network.

CSXSafe is a member of TRANSCAER, a voluntary outreach effort that focuses on assisting communities to prepare for and to respond to a possible hazardous materials transportation incident.  TRANSCAER offers classroom and hands-on training, technical information, national conferences and workshops, and emergency planning assistance.

(Source: CSXSafe)