January 12, 2006 Infogram

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.

COOP Planning Enhances Survivability

In critical infrastructure protection (CIP) parlance, CIP activities are essential to ensure organizational survivability, continuity, and response-ability. But experience substantiates that these three outcomes are closely related. For example, a department or agency must survive an incident in order to continue essential operations. Furthermore, preparedness lessons confirm that continuity of operations (COOP) planning enhances the survivability of the organization and its vital services.

Generally, COOP planning allows for the continuation of the crucial functions of departments and agencies during any emergency that may degrade or incapacitate normal operations. COOP planning specifically addresses the people, assets, and systems necessary for recovery of mission tasks on a short-term basis (e.g., after a communications failure) or for the long term such as after geological, meteorological, biological, chemical hazards, etc.

Because of the urgency for Emergency Services Sector (ESS) organizations to maintain continuous operations during all emergencies, the EMR-ISAC accepts COOP planning and survivability as fundamental aspects of CIP. Therefore, the EMR-ISAC maintains that the goal of every ESS entity should be to have a COOP Plan specifying straight-forward, step-by-step recovery procedures to follow during and after man-made and natural disasters. For assistance, see the Continuity of Operations Awareness and Introduction to Continuity of Operations courses on the FEMA Virtual Campus at: http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/crslist.asp.

Final Installment: Hurricane Lessons Learned

The 8 September, 13 October, and 1 December INFOGRAMs provided installments of lessons learned by emergency departments and agencies in the states affected by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. In the past few weeks, the EMR-ISAC collected an additional assortment of consequential lessons from multiple unofficial sources that can make a difference in the critical infrastructure protection of first responder organizations and the communities they serve. The EMR-ISAC offers this final listing regarding emergency planning for the consideration of emergency managers and the chief officers of first response departments and agencies:

Have an emergency plan that is developed and approved by community leaders.
Keep the plan uncomplicated, practical, and absolutely realistic.
Annually review and improve the plan.
Incorporate all new personnel, equipment, and systems into the plan.
Ensure complete comprehension and compliance with the plan.
Periodically exercise and train with the approved plan.
Guarantee potential incident commanders are capable of implementing the plan.
Implement the plan when any disaster or emergency occurs.
Review and improve the plan again after each implementation.

Value of Public/Private Sector Partnerships

The history of incident responses throughout the nation verifies the role of public works as a vital partner of the Emergency Services Sector (ESS). Numerous events have underscored the substantive contributions of public works and the private sector to the "response-ability" of emergency organizations.

According to a published report, a recent explosion at a feed plant required special equipment most first responder departments do not own because it is not cost-effective or practical. Immediately needed at this particular incident scene were excavating equipment and generator-powered light towers. The responders had to quickly find and acquire this equipment after an explosion critically injured two workers and ignited a life-threatening fire.

The emergency personnel ultimately borrowed three pieces of excavating equipment with an operator from a landscaping company. Excavators can range in cost from $75,000 to $100,000, making them impractical for ownership by first responder organizations. The light towers were provided by a sheriff's office, another jurisdiction's rescue squad, and two neighboring counties.

The chief of the responding department had started to compile a list of heavy equipment available to borrow before the explosion occurred, a proactive step the EMR-ISAC commends. In fact, the very process of culling such a list, with contact information, is an opportunity to create a network of relationships with public works organizations and private sector companies whose assistance and equipment significantly aid internal critical infrastructure protection (CIP) and disaster response activities.

To significantly bolster these capabilities, the EMR-ISAC suggests consideration of several businesses (not inclusive) for an outstanding network of relationships: public works, private utilities, construction, paving, landscaping, local landfills, and pool companies.

Protect Responder Cell Phone Information

A metropolitan law enforcement organization recently issued a warning to its personnel that their cell phone records are available to anyone willing to pay a fee to online services, some of which might be skirting the law to obtain the records. Nationwide, the FBI has already notified its field offices of this potential security threat.

Cell phone records, including names and addresses, are a powerful investigative tool for law enforcers. However, this service is available to anyone willing to pay a nominal fee. Once the records are ordered and paid for on line from the increasing number of companies that provide the service, they can be sent electronically to the requesting client within a few hours.

At this time, there is no federal law that includes the theft and/or sale of telephone records, although the Electronic Privacy Information Center has filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission to end the practice. U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) has called for legislation to criminalize the "stealing and selling" of cell phone logs and urged the Federal Trade Commission to set up a unit to stop it.

When the initial warning was issued, it stressed that emergency responders should be aware of this information when giving out their personal cell phone numbers to members of the general public. While recognizing the desire of Emergency Services Sector (ESS) members to be extremely helpful and customer service oriented, the EMR-ISAC urges heightened awareness and prudence regarding this growing security threat.

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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