This InfoGram will be distributed weekly to provide members of the Emergency Services Sector with information concerning the protection of their critical infrastructures. For further information, contact the Emergency Management and Response - Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) at (301) 447-1325 or by email at emr-isac@fema.dhs.gov.
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The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports that U.S. hospitals have been careless regarding the security of radioactive materials used in medical care. While there is no specific threat, radiological materials that could be used in a dirty bomb are not safeguarded as well as they should be, according to the GAO Report.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has oversight and regulatory responsibility over materials used in nuclear medicine. However, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has responsibility for security upgrades that are slated and under way. These upgrades have been completed in only a fraction of the facilities requiring them.
Knowing the majority of the voluntary security upgrades are unfinished, administrators at medical facilities should review their security policies and make necessary adjustments as needed. These may include video surveillance, alarms, and multiple layers of locked doors between public access areas and rooms containing radiological materials.
The NNSA provides training through its Alarm Response Training program at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, TN. This training is designed to instruct hospital staff and local law enforcement how to protect themselves and their communities when responding to possible theft or sabotage of radioactive materials.
(Source: ABC News)Western Carolina University maintains the Storm Surge Database as part of its Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines (PSDS). They have used the collected data to develop a Storm Surge Viewer, which can help local emergency management, public works, and municipal leaders plan for hurricane disasters based on prior high-water and storm surge data.
Users can search for the city and state by clicking on the map and change the parameters (e.g., see data by mile radius, hurricane, etc.). The site will give you the names of the hurricanes that impacted the area, the surge or high-water data, and the storm track. Clicking on each instance of high-water will give details and reference material.
While the Storm Surge View gives historical data, the Google Crisis Map gives real-time view of disasters happening in the United States and around the world. The data are collected by the Google Crisis Response Team from a variety of sources. Several layer options are available to toggle on and off, including:
First responders have enough to deal with on a medical or fire call without having to also worry about a person on the scene becoming violent. However, it does happen and emergency personnel should be able to recognize the signs.
Observing the behaviors and movements of a person can give many clues they are thinking of attacking. One obvious thing is someone taking a “fighter's stance,” but not all actions are so overt. People blatantly ignoring you or stopping all movement abruptly can also indicate an assault. Personnel on the scene should also note individuals who are glancing at weapons or looking around as if trying to find an escape route.
It is not unusual to go on an EMS call only to stumble on a crime in progress. Being able to communicate this to dispatch without provoking the people on the scene is key, either by using a code phrase or returning to the apparatus for a piece of “forgotten” equipment, then making the call.
Law enforcement officers have received training on spotting violent behavior, but often this training is missing for fire and EMS personnel. Contact state or local law enforcement agencies about helping to develop such training.
(Source: FireRescue1.com)The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has added to their offerings of fire and life safety tip sheets. NFPA makes the one-page sheets available to download, print, and hand out in the community as public safety campaign flyers.
Recently released sheets include Car Fire Safety (PDF, 360.14 Kb), Medical Oxygen Safety (PDF, 382.72 Kb), and CFL Light Bulbs (PDF, 247.11 Kb). The Campus Fire Safety document (PDF, 1.27 Mb) has been updated.
Other sheets available include information on hazards and safety tips related to various appliances, types of buildings, and high-risk populations. Several of the information sheets are topically related to cold weather or winter holidays, making this an ideal time to do some local outreach and public information drive.
(Source: NFPA)Adobe Acrobat (PDF)/Other Help
September 13, 2012 InfoGram (PDF, 176 Kb)The U.S. Fire Administration/EMR-ISAC does not endorse the organizations sponsoring linked websites, and does not endorse the views they express or the products/services they offer.
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.
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 email 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 email 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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Last Reviewed: September 14, 2012
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