Infogram

April 22, 2004

NOTE: This INFOGRAM will be distributed weekly to provide members of the emergency management and response sector with information concerning the protection of their critical infrastructures. It has been prepared by NATEK Incorporated for the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate. 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.

Promoting Awareness and Preparedness

The Homeland Security Advisory System currently remains at Level YELLOW (Elevated). Nevertheless, the leadership of the Emergency Management and Response (EMR) Sector continue to hear and read about threat warnings. For example, in a speech this week to the Radio Television News Directors Association, the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge expressed concern regarding a series of high-profile public events this year that provide attractive targets for terrorist groups.

During his speech, Secretary Ridge stated that based on analysis the government "is focusing on potential targets that include next month's war memorial dedication, the June meeting in Georgia of the Group of Eight industrialized nations, large nationwide celebrations for the Fourth of July, the July Democratic Convention in Boston, the August Republican Convention in New York, and the National Elections in November." He confirmed that no specific intelligence exists about possible attacks; however, he asserted, "with so many symbolic gatherings in the next few months, we must be aggressive."

Accepting that terrorists may be inspired to conduct high-casualty attacks in the United States in advance of the November elections, the EMR-ISAC must persist in promoting critical infrastructure protection by America's emergency managers and first responders. The decision-makers of the EMR Sector should first be aware of their critical infrastructures and local events that are vulnerable to degradation or destruction. Secondly, these community leaders should be prepared to implement hazard mitigation plans to eliminate or reduce the probability of an attack on those key infrastructures or events. Given the prevailing threat environment, the EMR-ISAC submits that awareness and preparedness are no longer a choice.

Dam Emergency Action Planning

Dams offer water to communities for home and industrial uses, firefighting, flood control, hydroelectric power, recreation, etc. The many functions dams provide make them a critical infrastructure of the regions in which they exist. Conversely, dam failures represent a significant risk to public safety, municipal and regional economies, and the environment. In today's super-technical world, "dam failures are rated as one of the major 'low-probability, high-loss' catastrophic events in this country.

Dam safety watchdogs claim that years of disregard and budget cuts have worsened the condition of too many of the 76,926 dams listed in the national inventory. Environmental officials further indicate as many as 1,595 of the "at risk" dams are located short distances upstream from residential communities, commercial centers, and local critical infrastructures. A county supervisor alleged that confusion about ownership and maintenance responsibility resulted in the neglect of dams in most states because private landowners, city or county governments, regional soil and water conservation districts, or a combination of those groups own America's dams.

Considering the situation, the EMR-ISAC suggests the initiation of emergency action planning with rehearsals in those regions and municipalities where a dam failure would cause the loss of life or disruption to the continuity of emergency operations. For assistance in this important endeavor, emergency managers and first responder chief officers can consult FEMA's National Dam Safety Program at: http://www.fema.gov/fima/damsafe/resources.shtm. Additional information can be obtained from the Association of State Dam Safety Officials at (859) 257-5140, or by e-mail at info@damsafety.org.

GIS: A CIP Multiplier

The Geographic Information System (GIS) is a database system with software that can analyze and display data using digitized maps and tables for planning and decision-making. A GIS can assemble, store, manipulate, and display geographically referenced data, tying this data to points, lines, and areas on a map or in a table. GIS can be used to support decisions that require knowledge about the geographic distribution of people, hospitals, schools, fire stations, roads, weather events, the impact of hazards/disasters, etc. Any location with a known latitude and longitude or other geographic grid system can be a part of a GIS.

GIS is a valuable tool for many aspects of emergency management, including: emergency response, planning, exercises, mitigation, homeland security, and national preparedness. In addition to its ability to manage and display data, GIS has robust modeling capabilities, allowing its users to adjust data and scenarios for prediction, planning, and estimation.

In a recent article by Fire Chief Myron Messak, he wrote, "GIS technologies are an ideal tool for making improvements in firefighting and emergency medical services (EMS)." For him and many other emergency responders, GIS has demonstrated its potential as an invaluable decision support tool. GIS has already been used successfully for several years in the United States to help fight wildfires. Chief Messak's report illustrated how GIS and Global Positioning System (GPS) tools are employed to predetermine helicopter landing zones, chart a fire district's water sources, store floor plans of a building for use in developing fire fighting tactics, preplan emergency evacuations for natural disasters, and map all fire departments within a region including their available resources. He concluded that any fire/EMS department can acquire this type of spatial decision support at minimal expense.

The EMR-ISAC understands how the application of GIS tools can benefit CIP. Therefore, EMR leaders interested in learning more about this relevant subject can begin their inquiry by sending electronic mail to the following addresses: hazus@dhs.gov or to GISMAPS@fema.gov.

Foodborne Illness Guide

The vulnerability to foodborne illness has been highlighted by large outbreaks over the last two years. To increase awareness, a new educational guide for health care professionals on how to identify and treat these illnesses was released on 7 April. The guide, "Diagnosis and Management of Foodborne Illnesses: A Primer for Physicians and Other Health Care Professionals" contains charts, scenarios, and a continuing medical education section. This primer, initially introduced in 2001, contains five new sections on new and re-emerging foodborne illnesses and was written with an emphasis on living in the post 9/11 environment.

Health care professionals can request a free copy of the guide by visiting the American Medical Association (AMA) website at: www.ama-assn.org/go/foodborne.

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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