Infogram

September 30, 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.

Challenges to Vigilance

Four major hurricanes in close succession have recently tested the preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities of local, state, and federal agencies. Each weather event caused the loss of life, destruction of property, mental anguish, physical pain, etc. It is understandable if the attention of those in affected areas has been distracted from vigilance for suspicious activities and critical infrastructure protection (CIP). Unfortunately, the devastation combined with disaster relief operations may have become a potential vulnerability.

Security specialists caution that these nature events create an excellent opportunity for domestic and transnational terrorists to observe without notice the implementation of emergency plans and operations. While vigilance has been curtailed by many logistical and operational challenges as well as responder fatigue, terrorists might even seize the chance to attack the storm-degraded critical infrastructures of communities and their first responders.

Therefore, the EMR-ISAC encourages each municipality and its emergency response departments to mitigate or prevent possible terrorist exploitation of a natural catastrophe by performing the following basic activities:

Maintain continuous situational awareness of regional and national events throughout all phases of disaster management.
Plan and rehearse the expeditious reallocation of resources for multiple incidents within the jurisdiction or region.
Ensure identification procedures to detain unauthorized individuals and imposters before they access sensitive areas.
Continue awareness for suspicious individuals and unfamiliar vehicles casing community critical infrastructures.
Quickly report any missing personnel, equipment, and apparatus.
Guarantee that all relief and recovery food and supplies are properly secured.

Integrating CIP into Emergency Preparedness

Considering the probable man-made and natural threats to communities and their emergency departments, local leaders of the emergency services should be knowledgeable and engaged in the discipline of critical infrastructure protection (CIP). Generally, CIP consists of the proactive activities to protect indispensable people, physical assets, and communication/cyber systems (i.e., the organization's critical infrastructures) from all hazards. More formally, it is an analytical process to guide the systematic protection of critical infrastructures by the application of a reliable decision sequence that assists leaders to determine exactly what needs protection and when security measures must occur. (For more information about the CIP Process, see the Job Aid at: http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/doc/cipc-jobaid.doc.)

By functional definition and division, there are different types of emergency personnel that require CIP to bolster emergency preparedness and "response-ability." However, the only with the total commitment and cooperation of the leadership of the first preparers (e.g., emergency planners and managers), first responders (e.g., police, fire, EMS), and first receivers (e.g., hospital emergency department staff) will the emergency preparedness of emergency providers translate into effective hazard mitigation and outstanding mission accomplishment.

The EMR-ISAC maintains that implementation of CIP is overdue for those emergency organizations or agencies that do not have plans and activities or operations to guarantee their survivability, continuity of operations, and mission success.

Helping Hospitals with Emergency Planning

Whether or not accredited by the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JACHO), hospitals have been required to have and exercise emergency preparedness plans. Furthermore, as of January 2001, JCAHO required hospitals to have a comprehensive all-hazards plan that covers the four traditional phases of emergency management (i.e., mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery). Since then, many American hospitals have developed superior emergency operations plans; many others are still involved in doing so.

The EMR-ISAC proposes that local emergency managers and fire/EMS chief officers can provide valuable encouragement and assistance to those hospitals (typically small, rural facilities) struggling to draft and rehearse a quality JCAHO-compliant emergency management plan. For example, emergency managers should offer helpful resources, local networking, planning experience, knowledge of local hazards, etc. Fire/EMS chief officers can deliver expertise regarding internal and external hazards, response and code enforcement, facility safety, situational updates, etc. When community leaders help their hospitals with emergency planning, they enhance the ability of these hospitals to better serve their communities.

Helping Businesses with Emergency Planning

In a recent speech, Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said: "We cannot secure the homeland without the cooperation-in fact the complete commitment-of the private sector. And that means everyone from small businesses to large corporations." He continued that owners and managers of America's businesses must prepare their employees, operations, and assets in the event of an emergency.

An emergency preparedness plan can greatly improve the likelihood that a company will survive and recover from all man-made and natural disasters. However, current research indicates that some businesses are not taking the necessary steps to prepare and rehearse emergency plans. Therefore, the EMR-ISAC again suggests that local emergency managers and police/fire/EMS chief officers can provide meaningful assistance when time and circumstances permit. At minimum, those businesses genuinely interested in emergency planning can be directed to the following: http://www.ready.gov/business/st1-beinformed.html.

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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