Emergency Management and Response - Information Sharing and Analysis Center

Infogram 11-08: March 20, 2008

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 e-mail at emr-isac@dhs.gov.

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March 20, 2008 INFOGRAM (PDF, 42 Kb)

Chlorine Incidents: Lessons Learned

An incident in a major metropolitan area last month motivated the Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) staff to research and report lessons learned from domestic events involving chlorine. Emergency Services Sector (ESS) departments and agencies know chlorine is a dangerous asphyxiate that can result in major health and psychological consequences even after low-level exposure. Most emergency responders understand chlorine is more lethal if released under optimal conditions such as in confined areas or outdoors with low humidity and no wind. Response personnel additionally comprehend that chlorine is heavier than air and will concentrate in low-lying areas (e.g., basements and subway tunnels).

Recognizing the possible chlorine threat to ESS critical infrastructures, the EMR-ISAC offers the following list of lessons learned gleaned from various public and private sources:

Acquire the appropriate detection equipment and practice using it.
Develop appropriate response procedures with mutual aid agreements as necessary.
Train all first responders regarding the risks of chlorine poisoning and how to respond.
Teach potential incident commanders to make changes based on new developments.
Require an immediate citizen evacuation of any identified contaminated area.
Provide constant monitoring for chlorine concentrations inside and outside of the affected building.
Closely monitor weather and air quality for any changes.
Prepare for wind fluctuations that put responders and others at risk.
Keep respirators readily available for immediate use.
Ensure the incident command post and backup personnel are in the "cold" zone out of danger.

Officials of the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board claim that emergency personnel make frequent mistakes at chlorine incident scenes. To help eliminate missteps, ESS organizations can consult the pamphlets and programs of The Chlorine Institute. Another valuable resource is the Chemical Transportation Emergency Center (CHEMTREC).

Water and Wastewater Agency Response Networks

It is a commonly known fact that critical infrastructure protection (CIP) and resilience (CIR) are a shared responsibility between both public agencies and private-sector businesses. However, because most of the nation's critical infrastructures and key resources (e.g., water and electrical power) are privately owned and operated, there is a significant challenge determining who has what accountability to prevent, protect, and mitigate man-made and natural disasters. The Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) suggests that this matter is a particular burden for the local emergency manager.

For example, while emergency managers neither own nor control the community water system, they perform critical coordinating and planning to ensure the protection or resiliency of local water supply, distribution, and removal, especially when disaster strikes. It is for this reason that the EMR-ISAC recommends the participation of emergency managers in the Water and Wastewater Agency Response Network (WARN).

The WARN is a network of utilities helping other utilities to respond to and recover from emergencies. The purpose of the Network is to provide a method whereby water/wastewater utilities that have sustained or anticipate damages from natural or human-caused incidents can provide and receive emergency assistance in the form of personnel, equipment, materials, and other associated services as necessary from other water/wastewater utilities. The objective of WARN is to provide rapid, short-term deployment of emergency services to restore the essential functions of the affected water/wastewater utility. Finally, the Network provides a forum for establishing and maintaining emergency contacts, and facilitates the expedited access to specialized resources needed to respond to and recover from disasters that disrupt water/wastewater operations.

More information about participation in this no-cost opportunity can be found at the WARN Web site.

A NIST Initiative for the Fire Service

The Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) examined a new Web site that provides access to information and materials focused on protecting personnel, the foremost of Emergency Services Sector (ESS) critical assets.

The U.S. Department of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) launched "Fire.gov" to share the Institute's efforts to develop and apply technology, measurements, and standards to better understand fire behavior, control and prevention, and to improve operations, equipment, fire suppression, fire investigations, and disaster response.

In addition to investigation reports and research summaries, the site offers an overview video of all of its available training videos, including CDs and DVDs of flashovers, ignition propensities of materials, etc. Users can subscribe to the "Fire.gov" quarterly newsletter. The winter 2008 newsletter included an article on challenges to the ESS from ethanol and other alternative fuels, and one on tactical decision aids for first responders.

Areas of the Web site address specific topics, e.g., turnout gear, Personal Alert Safety System (PASS) devices, thermal imaging, structural collapse, and firefighter training. For each topical area, NIST projects are explained, research report citations are listed, and links to software tools (where available) are provided. NIST also continues to develop computer-based tools to improve training opportunities while lowering the cost and risk of death and injury. The tools, NIST Fire Dynamic Simulator (FDS) and Smokeview, will be used as a basis for developing a virtual-reality-based firefighting training tool. Up-to-date information about NIST research on methods and technologies intended to save responder lives, inform physical asset procurement decisions, and improve operations is available at Fire.gov.

Safe Responses

Emergency Services Sector (ESS) leaders continue to investigate methods to increase safety during travel to and from incidents. At stake are responder lives, time lost to injuries, damage to physical assets, and liability threats to responder organizations, all of which the Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) regards as negatively affecting response-ability, continuity of operations, and infrastructure protection.

In addition to emphasizing defensive driving techniques and strengthening driver training, another initiative of ESS organizations is to rewrite guidelines by designating responses as either high speed with lights and sirens activated or, alternatively, lower speed (driving with the flow of traffic) and without lights and sirens. High-speed responses are based on the urgency and magnitude of a fire or other emergency, thereby decreasing the number of unnecessary "races" to calls. Jurisdictions that are experimenting with this method will evaluate the impact of the new guidelines.

Another option for increasing highway incident scene safety is an operations-level training package developed by the Cumberland Valley Volunteer Firemen's Association (CVVFA) Emergency Responder Safety Institute in partnership with the U.S. Fire Administration and the Department of Justice. Now available at no charge, the course, "Watch Out Behind You," can be presented by individuals who possess Instructor I skills in public safety. The course can be taught as a full one-day program or by module. To request a CD of the program, visit ResponderSafety.com.

FAIR USE NOTICE

This INFOGRAM may contain copyrighted material that was not specifically authorized by the copyright owner. EMR-ISAC personnel believe this constitutes "fair use" of copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use copyrighted material contained within this document for your own purposes that go beyond "fair use," you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Reporting Notice

DHS and the FBI encourage recipients of this document to report information concerning suspicious or criminal activity to DHS and/or the FBI. The DHS National Operation Center (NOC) can be reached by telephone at 202-282-9685 or by e-mail at NOC.Fusion@dhs.gov.

The FBI regional phone numbers can be found online at www.fbi.gov/contact/fo/fo.htm

For information affecting the private sector and critical infrastructure, contact the National Infrastructure Coordinating Center (NICC), a sub-element of the NOC. The NICC can be reached by telephone at 202-282-9201 or by e-mail at NICC@dhs.gov.

When available, each report submitted should include the date, time, location, type of activity, number of people and type of equipment used for the activity, the name of the submitting company or organization, and a designated point of contact.

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