Infogram

July 1, 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.

Possible New Biohazards

The Global Security Newswire reported this week that the push to defend America against bioterrorism by licensing more researchers and facilities to conduct related experiments could actually be creating new hazards. Biodefense projects grew from 25 in 2000 to 665 last year, according to the National Institutes of Health. Some scientists claim the number of individuals and organizations now conducting germ research in the United States increased to 11,119 workers in 317 laboratories.

Homeland Security experts believe these additional research projects, workers, and laboratories heighten the probability for an accidental or even deliberate release of hazardous pathogens. "Certainly in terms of an accidental release," said Edward Hammond from the Sunshine Project watchdog group, "I think we are unquestionably less safe than we were because of the skyrocketing biodefense research activities."

Furthermore, federal security officials warn that the 317 laboratories could be "prepositioned weapons of mass destruction" for terrorists. Therefore, their existence in or nearby population and business centers creates vulnerabilities in the nation's defenses and the possibility for new biohazards. For these reasons, the EMR-ISAC advises critical infrastructure protection (CIP) action by those municipalities and emergency departments with new or old biodefense research facilities in their jurisdiction. At minimum, it would be especially prudent to update plans and rehearse mitigation and preparedness measures to enhance survivability, continuity of operations, and mission success if and when an incident occurs at any of these laboratories.

Training Urban Firefighters for Wildfires

Several reports indicated that too many wildland firefighters must spend too much time evacuating people and protecting homes instead of battling the blaze. Because of this, frequent proposals for the increase in the recruitment and training of wildland firefighters have resulted. Additional recommendations called for training urban firefighters with expertise in responding to structure fires to safely participate in wildland/urban interface events.

To help meet the need to train urban firefighters to work wildfires, specialists at the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) developed the online course, "Wildland/Urban Interface Fire Operations for the Structural Firefighter Self Study" (Q618). This online course identifies many of the operational activities and safety concerns for the structural firefighter in the interface areas, where housing is located in or near wildlands. The course also includes wildland fire behavior, safety issues, and operational matters.

The training program is a joint effort of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group and the USFA National Fire Programs Division. The course takes between two to eight hours to complete. Those who successfully finish will receive a certificate of completion. The course is located at: http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/applications/nfacsd/display.jsp?cc=Q618 .

National Incident Management System (NIMS)

As the first standardized management plan that unifies federal, state, and local governments for incident response, NIMS established a consistent nationwide template for incident management processes, protocols, and procedures that all responders will use to coordinate and conduct response operations. It incorporated incident management best practices for exercises, qualifications and certifications, communications interoperability, doctrinal changes, training, publications, public affairs, equipping, evaluations, and incident management. NIMS activities should also strengthen the protection of the personnel, physical assets, and communication/cyber systems (i.e., critical infrastructures) that are essential for 24/7 response-ability.

The NIMS Integration Center supports direct participation and regular consultation with other federal stakeholders and state, local, and tribal incident management offices, as well as first responder organizations. The coordination and integration efforts of the Center should also enhance the protection of the critical infrastructures of emergency responders at all levels. For more information, the NIMS Integration Center can be contacted at 202-646-4223 or by visiting the following link: http://www.fema.gov/nims.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced on 29 June a new online course that will help first responders understand the underlying NIMS concepts and principles, and to begin incorporating the system into their own plans and policies. "This new course introduces NIMS in a way that is easy and accessible to the nation's emergency responders," said Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. Specialists at the USFA Emergency Management Institute created the online course to be completed in approximately three hours. The course can be found at: http://training.fema.gov/EMIWEB/IS/is700.asp.

An Introduction to Public Alert and Warning

Effective and timely public warnings can protect critical infrastructures, save lives, reduce property losses, and speed economic recovery when an emergency occurs. While public warning is primarily the responsibility of local governments, it requires the cooperation and assistance of state governments, the federal government, and private organizations. A partnership among these stakeholders is essential to the development and operation of an effective public warning capability.

The Partnership for Public Warning (PPW) is a not-for-profit, public-private partnership established to save the lives and property of people at risk from man-made and natural disasters. Its main objective is to provide information to assist emergency managers and public officials in understanding the issues associated with public warning and to make informed decisions about how best to serve their community.

For this purpose, the PPW prepared "An Introduction to Public Alert and Warning" as a brief overview of the many considerations that should be taken into account when developing or evaluating a public warning process and system. Since their efforts can potentially bolster community CIP, the EMR-ISAC offers the link to this June 2004 handbook as follows: http://www.partnershipforpublicwarning.org/ppw/docs/handbook.pdf.

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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