Infogram

November 4, 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.

Stay the Course

Election Day, 2 November, passed without a terrorist attack in the United States. The country's critical infrastructures are fully intact and operational. These facts are a testimony to the exhaustive planning and preparing by all those who protect the nation's people and key resources. However, the "Period of Increased Risk" announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues through the Presidential Inauguration on January 20, 2005. Although there have been no terrorist attacks during this period, which began with the World War II Memorial Dedication on 27 May, the Emergency Services Sector (ESS) cannot afford to relax its critical infrastructure protection (CIP) momentum.

To avoid the possibility of complacency or apathy, the EMR-ISAC recommends that ESS departments and agencies consider or repeat the CIP process described in the CIP Job Aid (http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/subjects/emr-isac/cipc_jobaid.shtm). The major purpose of this process is to assist leaders to determine exactly what organizational assets must be protected and how soon protective measures should be applied. The process guides decision-makers to expend scarce resources on only those people and things that must remain "response-able" 24x7 in an "all-hazards environment."

Another way to "stay the course" is to ensure that the leadership of ESS organizations receives emergent, actionable CIP information published as necessary by the EMR-ISAC. In addition to this INFOGRAM and other non-sensitive documents, the EMR-ISAC disseminates all DHS Information Bulletins (For Official Use Only) to those leaders registered, validated, and subscribed through DisasterHelp.gov at the following link: https://disasterhelp.gov/usfacip.html.

Gaps in Preparedness

According to a study recently released by the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers (PACE) International Union, there are approximately 15,000 facilities identified as potentially attractive targets for a terrorist attack due to the presence of large quantities of hazardous materials (HazMat). The PACE report alleges that many of these facilities have not done an adequate job of preventing and preparing for such an event. It further indicates that "the work force has neither been sufficiently prepared nor involved, and that stronger measures must be taken to protect workers and communities." Finally, it emphasizes that "tens of millions of people live in the areas surrounding these sites." The report entitled "PACE International Union Survey: Workplace Incident Prevention and Response Since 9/11" is available at http://www.pacehealthandsafety.org.

Counterterrorism experts call these locations "prepositioned weapons of mass destruction" for terrorist planning and action. The security specialists warn that the presence of these sites in or nearby population and business centers "may be the most vulnerable point in the nation's defenses." They believe a HazMat incident at just one of these industrial facilities could potentially endanger more than tens of thousands of people, ruin the regional economy, and demoralize the nation.

Considering this possibility, the EMR-ISAC advises CIP action by emergency managers and first responder departments with HazMat sites in or adjacent to their jurisdiction. At minimum, the EMR-ISAC recommends preparing or updating and rehearsing emergency response plans for these facilities to ensure survivability, continuity of operations, and mission success. Leaving this matter exclusively to the facility owners and operators would be undesirable from the "community perspective." Emergency response departments must "stand in the gap" for CIP.

Indicators of Suspicious Behavior

In an effort to assist the continued vigilance for terrorism by members of the Emergency Services Sector (ESS) nationwide, the EMR-ISAC offers the following reminders, which are indicators of suspicious behavior assembled from various counterterrorism sources:

People who don't seem to fit in the surrounding environment.
Individuals demonstrating unusual interest in ESS personnel and property.
Clothes unsuitable for the time of year.
Anything protruding in an unusual way under a person's clothing.
Luggage or gym bags appearing to weigh more than normal.
Electrical wires sticking out of a bag or pocket.
Vehicles that don't seem to fit in the surrounding environment.
Unfamiliar vehicles parked at or adjacent to critical assets.
Stolen or non-matching vehicle license plates.
Motorized scooters or motorcycles carrying larger than normal loads.

Guarding Sensitive Information

The following can be found in the online Explosives Primer: "An explosive is defined as a material that can be initiated to undergo very rapid, self-propagating decomposition that results in the formation of more stable material, the liberation of heat, or the development of a sudden pressure effect through the action of heat on produced or adjacent gasses. All of these outcomes produce energy; a weapon's effectiveness is measured by the quantity of energy-or damage potential-it delivers to the target."

By itself, this definition is not sensitive information useful to America's adversaries; however, more potentially sensitive facts about explosives can be easily accessed at the same Internet source of the above quote. This is only one small example of online information that has probable value to the criminals of the world. Therefore, the EMR-ISAC again reminds ESS organizations with websites to ensure their online information has been sanitized and cannot be used in any way to incapacitate or destroy internal or community critical infrastructures.

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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