Infogram

March 18, 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.

Railway Systems Emergencies

The horrific attack one week ago on train commuters in the Spanish capital has again focused attention on the expansive, accessible rail and subway systems throughout the United States. Many doors, high volumes of passengers, occasional hazardous cargo, and thousands of miles of unattended tracks are located within and beneath cities and suburbs containing large concentrations of people and critical infrastructures. There is no doubt that this reality makes the American railway system a lucrative target for terrorists. This is why the Department of Homeland Security sent a bulletin on 12 March to state and local officials across the nation advising them to consider protective measures for railroads and mass transit systems.

Whether deliberately instigated or accidental, it is conceivable that there will be a future railroad or subway incident involving large numbers of passengers and/or dangerous materials in the immediate vicinity of local critical infrastructures. Whenever this happens, the response operations of emergency departments will greatly depend on their preparedness for such events. The survivability of passengers, the protection of local critical infrastructures, and the safety and success of first responders will depend upon those who know exactly what to do and thoroughly cooperate in getting it done. As always, well-coordinated and combined planning and training can make a significance difference in the outcome of response operations.

To acquire consistently favorable results, the EMR-ISAC recommends that community leaders (e.g., elected leaders, emergency managers, and chief officers of first response departments) with railroads and subways within or adjacent to their jurisdiction commence comprehensive, multi-agency planning and exercising to ensure preparedness for rail systems emergencies. Innovative, low cost methods can be selected to yield quality joint training with reinforcing rehearsals. The readiness derived from these activities should appreciably reduce the threat to community critical infrastructures as well as those of the fire, EMS, and police departments.

More about Force Protection and CIP

The 19 February INFOGRAM entry on force protection discussed the necessity for firefighters and emergency medical personnel to avoid getting caught up in an emergency and feel the need to rush in without first checking for several indicators of danger at a scene. In view of recent events in this country where firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and paramedics have been injured or killed, this article intends to provide more information about protecting department personnel-the most precious of critical infrastructures.

To reduce the risks of injury or loss of first responders and the potential degradation of their mission, the EMR-ISAC further suggests the following non-inclusive list of good habits extracted from the lessons-learned documents of multiple sources:

Learn local law enforcement terminology to eliminate potentially dangerous confusion during responses to crime scenes.
Ascertain as much as possible about environment and situation when in route to the scene of an emergency, including whether police have been dispatched.
Analyze the scene immediately upon arrival to determine all dangers to emergency personnel and their equipment.
Coordinate with the police upon arrival at a suspicious or dangerous scene to agree where to stage, where to park apparatus, and when it is safe to proceed.
Advise the police of anything unusual or unsafe about the scene and patients, especially the presence of weapons.
Ensure perpetrators needing medical assistance are handcuffed and accompanied by a police officer.
Document activities at the scene in the event that a court appearance becomes necessary.
Follow prescribed transportation manuals and traffic management programs that explain safe practices for closing roads and setting up detours.
Appoint a safety officer as often as possible at highways and other major scenes.
Prepare and apply preplans that account for responses to crime scenes, vehicle positioning, use of detours, HazMat transport, traffic flow, secondary incidents, etc.

Emergency Evacuation Planning

Working with its federal and state partners (Virginia and Maryland) the District of Columbia Department of Transportation (DDOT) spearheaded an initiative to prepare for emergencies that would affect how residents, visitors, and businesses move around the National Capital Region. In consultation with emergency first responders and other key stakeholders within the region, DDOT identified 25 corridors radiating from downtown Washington, DC as emergency evacuation routes. Citizen utilization of these evacuation routes should ease the congestion on other roads needed for the accelerated travel of emergency vehicles.

During a major event or emergency situation, radial evacuation routes featuring traffic signals will be retimed. Selected traffic signals on each radial corridor will be recalibrated to operate on a cycle length of 4 minutes with maximum green time allocated to the main street. Signalized intersections between these selected traffic signals will be operated on flash with yellow for the main street and red for the side street. In addition, 70 critical intersections on the evacuation routes within Washington, DC will be manned with uniformed police officers to expedite the flow of traffic and to prevent bottlenecks.

A six-page pamphlet features an explanation of the evacuation routes, including a map and pictures of the street signs directing motorists to Virginia and Maryland, a directory of websites and phone numbers, and information on emergency radio broadcasts. The brochure can be seen at the following link: http://ddot.dc.gov/ddot/frames.asp?doc=/ddot/lib/ddot/information/pdf/brochure_emergencytips.pdf

CIP specialists consider roads and highways a critical infrastructure affecting the rapid, safe movement and expedient operations of first responders. Therefore, the EMR-ISAC recommends that emergency management and response (EMR) senior leaders take a look at the work of the DDOT as model for other municipalities. As appropriate and necessary, EMR decision-makers can promote the duplication of the DDOT plan within their own communities.

Homeland Security Funding Task Force

Secretary of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, announced on 15 March a Homeland Security Funding Task Force composed of state, county, city, and tribal representatives to examine the funding process and ensure that money moves quickly to local first responders. "The Task Force will identify state and local funding solutions that work effectively and can be extended to situations where there are impediments to the efficient and effective distribution of state and local homeland security funds."

The Task Force brings together selected governors, mayors, county officials, tribal leaders, and other senior officials. It has been meeting for about two weeks under the aegis of the Homeland Security Advisory Council with its State and Local Officials Committee and the Emergency Response Senior Advisory Committee. Secretary Ridge expects to receive Task Force recommendations within the next two months on how to expedite the money distribution process. He stated that he "shares the concerns of communities anticipating these funds" and wants to "put homeland security dollars into the hands of first responders more rapidly."

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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