Emergency Management and Response - Information Sharing and Analysis Center

Infogram 13-08: April 3, 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.

Receive Infograms and Bulletins by E-mail

Adobe Acrobat (PDF)/Other Help

Download

April 3, 2008 INFOGRAM (PDF, 56 Kb)

Ecoterrorism: Leading Domestic Threat

For over six years, security and intelligence echelons of the nation have been preoccupied with the probability of domestic al Qaeda sleeper cells being activated to initiate more terrorist attacks. But researchers are persuaded that domestic extremists will be responsible for future carnage and damage to the critical infrastructures of this country. The Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) verified that counterterrorism specialists believe this because the decades-long war with militant environmentalists in the United States has not ended. Since they continue to successfully conduct attacks throughout America, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) considers ecoterrorism the primary domestic threat.

The FBI defines ecoterrorism as "the use or threatened use of violence of a criminal nature against innocent victims or property by an environmentally oriented, sub-national group for environmental-political reasons, or aimed at an audience beyond the target, often of a symbolic nature." It is exemplified by the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), whose members operate alone or in small groups, and may be responsible for approximately 1,800 criminal acts and 180 ongoing FBI ecoterrorism investigations.

To make matters worse for the people, property, and emergency services of America, animal rights activists of the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) also continue to target individuals and organizations associated with scientific research using animal testing to develop cures for diseases. FBI analysts forecast that ALF members will perpetuate numerous future attacks on scientists and enterprises involved with animal research.

ELF and ALF extremists have used myriad of techniques to harass and intimidate victims, and to destroy property. For example, their heinous methods have included smoke and pipe bombs as well as milk jugs and electrical ignition devices to start fires. "There are a large number of activists who are willing to risk potential repercussions in support of their movement. Trying to predict where or when they'll strike next becomes a guessing game," experts said.

Considering available information regarding ELF and ALF intentions, the EMR-ISAC perceives these extremist groups to be a possible threat to the protection and performance of first responders. Therefore, the EMR-ISAC recommends Emergency Services Sector departments and agencies implement appropriate precautions when responding to incidents involving suspected ecoterrorists.

Community Emergency Planning Considerations

When researching the best practices of emergency planning, the Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) observed a large variety of information and guidance on the subject. Some of the information consulted was precise and provided practical suggestions and processes; however, some of the sources were wordy and confusing.

While examining several documents, the EMR-ISAC was reminded that over the years planning specialists have identified eight fundamental principles of emergency planning to increase the preparedness of a community. For the benefit of local emergency managers and the chief officers of the emergency services, particularly to support their efforts to promote jurisdictional infrastructure protection and resilience, the principles are excerpted as follows from a 27 March article.

Anticipate both active and passive resistance to the planning process, and develop strategies to manage these obstacles.
Address all hazards to which the community is exposed.
Include all response organizations, seeking their participation, commitment, and clearly defined agreement.
Base pre-impact planning on accurate assumptions about the threat, about typical human behavior in disasters, and about likely support from external sources such as state and federal agencies.
Identify the types of emergency response actions that are most likely to be appropriate.
Address the linkage of emergency response to disaster recovery.
Provide for training and evaluation of the emergency response organization at all levels—individual, team, department, and community.
Recognize that emergency planning is a continuing process.
These basic steps can be found in Chapter 7 of "Emergency Management: Principles and Practice for Local Government," Second Edition (December 2007), published by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA).

Rural Law Enforcement Technology Center

The Emergency Services Sector (ESS) includes more than 18,000 small and rural federal, state, and local law enforcement (LE) agencies, 16,000 of which have fewer than 50 sworn officers. Seeking ways to cultivate infrastructure protection and resilience among police departments, the Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) contacted the Rural Law Enforcement Technology Center (RULETC) for information about how it helps address internal critical infrastructure protection gaps. The RULETC is one of the National Institute of Justice's (NIJ) National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Centers.

RULETC is a gateway for rural departments to obtain technology information and assistance, and to request support and capacity-building tools for their agencies. As federally funded information brokers, RULETC staff guide ESS organizations toward asset-enhancing resources (e.g., grant programs, emerging tools and technologies) with a goal of solving technology-related training, equipment, and information challenges. For instance, the center helped a county sheriff's office that owned only one 20-year-old computer to acquire 14 laptop and personal computers, two 4x4 trucks, and night-vision goggles under the 1033 program, which makes excess Department of Defense property and equipment available to LE agencies. RULETC operates a mobile interactive, judgmental shooting simulator with a laser-guided shootback feature that it transports at no charge to agencies within an eight-hour drive of the center, located in Hazard, Kentucky. The county sheriff's office used the simulator to train all its personnel, one of whom credited the simulator with saving his life.

Under one of its various programs, RULETC advises small LE organizations that are trying to acquire and share an airplane about a relatively new Federal Aviation Administration certification category known as Light-Sport. These aircraft, which cost approximately $100,000, can be flown for approximately $40.00/hour (fuel and maintenance) by a pilot who holds a private license. The aircraft can be used for surveillance, planning, and aerial photography, or flown as slowly as 40 mph to conduct searches. Installing a radio repeater in the plane boosts communications capabilities.

Available at the center's web site are descriptions of grant assistance programs; no-cost videos and

CD-ROMs; a portfolio of Small and Rural Technology (SMART) Briefs about new technologies such as remote surveillance, body armor, automobiles, alternate fuels, and less than lethal technology; and additional resources. RULETC encourages ESS organizations to call for guidance and to inquire about sensitive media available to the Emergency Services Sector but not advertised on the web site. The center can be reached by calling (toll-free) 1-866-787-2553. Visit nlectc.org to examine other program assistance. RULETC will host the NIJ Technology Institute for Rural Law Enforcement in California in October 2008. The Institute will provide attendees with information and assistance and exchange technology lessons learned. Command personnel of agencies having fewer than 50 sworn officers can apply to participate. RULETC pays all costs for selected applicants. The application form, which must be completed by August 1, 2008, can be acquired by contacting Scott Barker, RULETC Deputy Director, at 866-787-2553 or by email at ruletc1@aol.com.

Promoting ESS Resourcefulness

The Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) notes recent reports that at least half of the nation's states are facing budget shortfalls, some of them severe. A handful of states are considering tax increases, but most will rein in services instead. For the departments and agencies of the Emergency Services Sector (ESS), being "cash-strapped" is a harsh reality, and the major challenge to acquiring and maintaining internal critical infrastructures.

To aid ESS grant seekers, the Homeland Defense Journal 2008 Grants Handbook (PDF, 1.9 Mb, 29 pages) is now available to view and download at no charge. It identifies grant sources relevant to emergency organizations by grant program name, agency, application deadline, level of funding, and contact information, from a variety of federal agencies (Homeland Security, Justice, Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). In addition to writing tips from grant experts at federal agencies, the guide provides links for funding research web sites to monitor, a checklist for organizations to gauge their suitability for specific grants, tips for winning grants, grant trends, and an article on developing regional interoperable communications grants.

ESS personnel have long practiced a unique brand of resourcefulness. A report this week in FireRescue1.com describes creative, budget-pinching techniques used by Florida departments to enhance hands-on personnel protection training. The following cost-saving ideas may be practical for departments in other localities:

Utilize extremely worn fire hose to form "mannequins" that simulate the weight and shape of human bodies.
Collect construction debris (e.g., bridge supports packed with rebar, discarded tanks) for search and forcible entry practice, and turn landfill-bound excess concrete into slabs for responders to break through.
Stockpile wrecked vehicles (cars, buses, trucks) to conduct extrication and rescue procedures.
Gather windows from severely damaged homes and scavenge windows and doors from building supply dumpsters to set up entry/exit drills.
Convert discarded shipping containers into practice burn buildings.
Perform "dual benefit" training exercises. In one case, trainees used mowing and tilling equipment to practice clearing plant material to prevent fire spread. The exercise provided cost-free land clearing for an upcoming construction project at a fire center. Departments in a number of states practice multiple training procedures in structures scheduled for demolition, thereby saving their jurisdictions teardown costs.

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.

Weekly INFOGRAM's are now available as an RSS Feed. More Information »