Infogram

October 28, 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.

Emergency Preparations for Election Day

Although the Federal Government has no specific indications that terrorists might strike polling places on Election Day, 2 November, there is growing concern al Qaeda may be actively planning to launch single or multiple attacks before or during the national elections to influence the outcome or disrupt the political process. No reliable information is available regarding the timing, operatives, or targets associated with a plot to create chaos at the polls. But election officials insist that they cannot discount the possibility that al Qaeda may be attracted to long lines of voters to make a violent statement against democracy.

Transnational terrorists have used a wide variety of attack methods (e.g., vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, individual suicide bombers, and pre-positioned high explosives with or without combustible or toxic material). Each attack method creates different challenges to those communities and first responders performing mitigation or preparedness activities in their respective jurisdictions. Nevertheless, all efforts to prevent the interruption of local voting participation and provide security for the election process should be encouraged and applauded.

Considering the protection of the critical infrastructures of emergency departments conducting preparations for Election Day, the EMR-ISAC offers the following brief reminders:

Develop provisions to validate the identity of official personnel and vehicles that may be seen at or near polling sites.
Become familiar with local first responder uniforms and vehicles, including those of organizations from adjacent or regional municipalities.
Establish strict internal accountability for uniforms, vehicles, operating devices, codes, and anything else that can be used by adversaries to "legitimize" their presence or facilitate their criminal acts.

Preparing for the Unexpected

Experience dictates: "Prepare for the unexpected." Experience also justifies the all-hazards approach to emergency preparedness and critical infrastructure protection (CIP). Man-made catastrophes at the World Trade Center and in Oklahoma City and too many natural disasters in the United States uphold another more recent adage: "Don't prepare for another 9/11 or the last hurricane."

It is difficult to keep focused on "preparing for the unexpected," particularly when many communities, emergency managers, and first responder agencies have very limited resources. At these locations, local leaders are struggling just to ensure the continuation of basic services for their citizens. Understandably, some of them have asked: "Where are the resources to perform effective disaster preparedness?"

On this matter, the EMR-ISAC has a suggestion. While it is essential to work collectively with public and private stakeholders, it may also be possible to obtain additional resources and assistance from local voluntary groups such as the Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) coalition. Regardless of the availability of a nearby VOAD coalition, a proactive and comprehensive planning approach with voluntary organizations (e.g., American Red Cross, food banks, faith-based organizations, scouting programs, and senior citizens councils) could yield assets or resources that may assist efforts to "prepare for the unexpected."

NFPA 1600 Standard

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) published a standard establishing a common set of criteria for disaster management, emergency management, and business continuity programs. The 2004 standard retains the basic features of the standard published in 2000, but contains updated terminology and adds significant informational resources.

NFPA 1600 requires the creation of emergency and continuity programs that include a coordinator and an advisory committee to set goals and procedures and establish performance objectives. The organization instituting the program must also conduct evaluations to assess the progress of the program. The standard identifies four main phases of emergency management that each program should incorporate: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.

NFPA 1600 is available free online in PDF format at the following link: http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/PDF/NFPA1600.pdf.

Terrorism Response Plans

"In crisis situations, many Americans would not be safeguarded because existing terrorism response plans do not account for how people would behave," according to a study released last month by the Center for the Advancement of Collaborative Strategies in Health at the New York Academy of Medicine. Investigators found that current plans have been created in a "top-down" style, "telling people what to do in the event of an attack without considering all of the risks and concerns that drive people's actions."

Called Redefining Readiness: Terrorism Planning Through the Eyes of the Public, this year-long study gave the American people their first opportunity to describe how they would react to two kinds of terrorist attacks: a smallpox outbreak and a dirty bomb explosion. The rigorous study involved in-depth conversations with government and private sector planners, 14 group discussions with diverse community residents around the country, and a telephone survey of 2,545 randomly selected adults in the continental United States.

The report can be viewed online in PDF format at the following link: http://www.cacsh.org/pdf/RedefiningReadinessStudy.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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