Infogram

August 19, 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.

Explosive Storage Sites

The Christian Science Monitor recently reported that in the woods of some states may be found unguarded, locked containers used to store explosives. These storage sites belong either to law enforcement agencies or private companies. At some locations, the elected leadership and first responders of nearby communities are not aware of the explosive containers until an incident occurs.

Explosive experts allege that security at some of these storage facilities is lax; therefore, they are susceptible to theft for personal use or possible mayhem. Additionally, such containers in the woods are always at risk from wildfires. These probabilities could jeopardize the safety of local citizens and emergency responders as well as their critical infrastructures.

To prevent a small disaster caused by known or unknown explosive storage sites, the EMR-ISAC encourages the chief officers of emergency departments to ascertain if any of these containers are located in their jurisdiction. It would be prudent to give consideration to appropriate response operations for various scenarios involving explosive containers regardless of whether located within city limits or its suburbs.

Leadership Challenge

The devastation caused by Hurricane Charley last week necessitated a massive emergency response and recovery effort to sustain those communities requiring urgent assistance. Emergency response teams, disaster relief supplies, equipment, and resources moved to Florida from throughout the nation. All involved in this mammoth responsibility were quickly reminded that natural disasters produce leadership challenges comparable to man-made catastrophes. Principal among those challenges is taking care of the physical and emotional needs of the responders - the foremost critical infrastructure of any department or agency.

Some of the safety and health dangers for responders to this hurricane included: heat exhaustion and dehydration, injuries from operating near damaged structures and debris, traffic accidents, illness from spoiled food, confrontations with looters, extreme fatigue, severe stress, etc. These dangers were compounded because many responders dedicated to their work and focused on the mission forgot to take care of themselves. Such perils created a tremendous challenge for their leaders.

To reduce the risks of injury or loss of first responders and the potential degradation of their mission, the EMR-ISAC applauds and reinforces the outstanding habits of so many outstanding emergency department chief officers. These men and women exercise genuine care and concern for their personnel while simultaneously enforcing command and control. Many great leaders of the emergency services effectively use the chain of command to ensure contact with and support for all deployed personnel regardless of time and distance. As a result of their superlative direction, the survivability and continuity of operations of their response personnel are rarely incapacitated by man-made and natural disasters.

Roadblocks to Successful CIP

In many previous INFOGRAMs, the EMR-ISAC explained that critical infrastructure protection (CIP) consists of the activities to protect the personnel, physical assets, and communication/cyber systems that must remain intact and operational 24x7 in order to mitigate potential hazards and assure mission success in an all-hazards environment. Occasionally, the EMR-ISAC receives phone calls or electronic mail from around the nation about the difficulties experienced when attempting to implement CIP on the local level. From this correspondence, the EMR-ISAC summarizes the following four areas where roadblocks usually occur. For the benefit of the entire Emergency Services Sector, please forward (to emr-isac@dhs.gov) and share your best practices to reduce or eliminate the obstacles to any of these categories:

Update Regarding Potential Impostors

On 12 August, a sheriff's department reported that five males entered a warehouse in Illinois containing generators, de-humidifiers, and air conditioners that are shipped overseas for the war in Iraq. Items such as blasting caps, gasoline, unspecified chemicals, and detonating fuses were also on the premises. The suspicious persons wearing casual clothing stated that they were from the Fire Marshal's Office and were there "for the inspection." The warehouse manager let them examine the premises unsupervised for approximately 15 minutes. On 13 August, the actual Fire Marshal came for his scheduled yearly inspection. The manager explained the incident and the Fire Marshal stated that the visitors were not affiliated with the Fire Marshal's Office. Further investigation by the state police revealed that the five men were legitimate county inspectors.

The EMR-ISAC believes there is an object lesson in this incident. At every opportunity, community leaders including those of the emergency services should remind the owners and operators of local business and industrial assets of their security obligations. Those involved with local critical infrastructures must be urged to thoroughly check the credentials of visitors and make phone calls to validate the visit as necessary. This is a prime example of the reality that "homeland security begins at home."

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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