InfoGram 48-12: December 6, 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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Recent Bomb Threats to Government Facilities

During the month of November, four states received multiple bomb threats to state and federal courthouses and other government buildings. Oregon, Nebraska, Washington, and most recently Tennessee had to evacuate between 8 and 30 government buildings due to phoned-in threats, all of which turned out to be hoaxes.

Officials have noted the similarities of these cases although no one has indicated that they are or are not related. There is also no evidence suggesting other states will experience similar threats; however, these recent examples give government facility security managers an opening to review how to handle bomb threat calls.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Bombing Prevention (OBP) offers training to state, local and private sector security. Training on management of bomb threats, search methods and protective measures are held regionally. Course lists and training request information is available on the OBP Web site.

Many agencies and facilities produce bomb threat checklists and hand them out to employees to keep near a phone. Seattle, WA, (PDF, 165 Kb) and Charlotte-Mecklenburg County have theirs available online.  Another example by DHS (PDF, 254 Kb) includes called in threats as well as what to do if you find a suspicious package.  These checklists can be used as templates for any agency to create their own.

Human Trafficking Indicators for Fire and EMS

Hundreds of thousands of people are exploited in modern-day slave trading around the world each year, and every state within the United States has reported cases. Fire, EMS, medical and public safety workers who are in a position to have contact with these people through their duties, can learn to spot the signs and report them.

The Departments of Homeland Security (DHS), Health and Human Services (HHS), and many other government and nonprofit organizations continue working to educate the public and emergency services workers on the prevalence of human trafficking in the United States. Through the Blue Campaign, the Polaris Project, Blue Blindfold, Blue Heart and other similar programs, several new resources are now available for fire, EMS and public safety personnel:

• Human Trafficking Video for First Responders – this short 7-minute video discusses the means, methods and signs of trafficking can be incorporated into a departmental training.
• Printable 2-sided card for fire and EMS (PDF, 181 Kb) - lists indicators and medical symptoms of people who are victims of human trafficking.
• Tools for Service Providers and Law Enforcement – Polaris Project’s interactive training for health care workers, fact sheets for educators, and other resources.
• Human Trafficking Training Program – training for law enforcement officers through the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC).

It is important to note human trafficking and human smuggling are not the same thing. Human trafficking always involves some form of exploitation; smuggling is by consent. Trafficked people may be in the United States legally or be U.S. citizens. Do not assume trafficking only involves illegal aliens or foreign nationals.

USFA Announces Release of Regional Wildland Fire Reports

The U.S. Fire Administration announced the release of the Regional Risk Analysis Reports discussing methods of dealing with wildland fire management risk.  These reports are designed to be decision support tools for public and private sector organizations and agencies to enhance collaborative efforts.

The regional reports highlight shared goals like fire-adapted communities, resilient landscapes and response to wildland fires outlined in the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy. As the Northeast, Southeast, and Western regions have unique problems, committees must tailor the analysis reports to fit.

Each report is developed by a Regional Strategy Committee (RSC) comprised of representatives of all levels of government as well as non-governmental organizations that have wildland fire management duties. The third and final step of the process will be to develop an action plan for each of the three regions.

Indoor Positioning and Wireless 9-1-1 Calls

Increases in cellphone use in the past decades have lead to problems for first responders attempting to find people or locations. A recent article in Government Computer News states: “as telephones have become untethered and phone numbers are no longer tied to an address, the ability of first responders to pinpoint the location of cellular phone calls to 9-1-1 has become increasingly important.”

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) already has requirements in place (PDF, 91 Kb) for locating wireless calls. Current technology appears to work only for calls made outdoors and tends to fail when calls are made from inside buildings.

Six weeks of testing several different technologies by different cellular carriers in a variety of urban and rural settings is underway to attempt to fix this problem.  A final report is expected in March.  An estimated 70-80% of 9-1-1 calls are made from cell phones.