NOTE: 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 e-mail at emr-isac@dhs.gov.
2006 Wildfire Season
The United States has witnessed the early arrival of the 2006 Wildland Fire Season. For example, wildfires have already swept across thousands of acres in Texas, New Mexico, and Florida. According to a Government Accountability Office report (GAO-06-671R) issued earlier this month, it is possible that this wildfire season will offer new challenges beyond what has been experienced in previous years. Experts believe that catastrophic damage from wildland fires will probably continue to increase. “The number of acres burned by wildland fires annually from 2000 to 2005 was 70 percent greater than the average burned annually during the 1990s.”
In the past five years the wildland/urban interface created a new frontier requiring innovative rules of engagement, which demanded much more from fire departments. In today’s rapidly expanding wildland/urban interface, firefighters are facing wildfire disasters with increasing frequency. Consequently, the necessity to protect the critical infrastructures of wildland firefighting organizations has never been greater. The Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) asserts that this is particularly true for their personnel who are the foremost among internal critical infrastructures.
The GAO report reinforced several tasks that agencies must complete prior to implementing a cohesive wildland fire management strategy. The EMR-ISAC affirms that the following tasks contribute to the protection of wildfire responder critical infrastructures:
- Finish data systems needed to identify the extent, severity, and location of wildland fire threats to local communities and ecosystems.
- Update local fire management plans to better specify the actions necessary to effectively address these threats.
- Assess the cost-effectiveness and affordability of options for reducing the ample supply of fuel for fires.
- Ensure reliable mechanisms exist to communicate among wildfire responders and critical nfrastructure stakeholders when threatened by wildfires.
On a related matter, the U.S. Fire Administration, in the Department of Homeland Security Preparedness Directorate, just announced the availability of a new website with training information for personnel who may be involved in wildland firefighting. It provides information about the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) curriculum, training program, training material, standards, and related areas of the NWCG interagency training program.
Acting U.S. Fire Administrator Charlie Dickinson, who also serves on the Wildland Fire Leadership Council, said that “The opportunities being offered on this new website will be of tremendous help to the structural fire community in dealing with wildland fire situations, especially in the urban interface.” Managed by the NWCG Training Working Team, the website can be seen at: http://training.nwcg.gov.
Cyber Threats Grow More Dangerous
The head of a cyber-security unit working with the government was quoted by Reuters this week: “Attacks on U.S. computer networks could escalate from mere inconveniences to disasters that ruin companies or even kill people.” Scott Borg, director of the Cyber Consequences Unit, a Department of Homeland Security advisory group, also said “increasing intelligence ‘chatter’ was pointing to possible criminal or terrorist schemes to destroy physical infrastructure such as power grids.”
The Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) confirms that computers have become an integral part of the Emergency Services Sector (ESS). Thousands of sector organizations (e.g., 9-1-1 Call Centers) depend on computers to the extent that day-to-day operations are significantly hindered when computers do not operate or do not function properly. Moreover, unprecedented interdependencies have created vulnerabilities with potential disruptions to ESS services such as computer dispatching.
Relentless movement to complex, dispersed, client-server and heterogeneous configurations with distributed management actually worsens the situation. Since new electronic vulnerabilities are found almost daily and computer security improvements are frequently late and lacking in quality, ESS agencies may need some help to ensure cyber-security and continuity of operations. Once again, the EMR-ISAC reminds that the US-CERT is the center for cyber-security expertise. US-CERT developed security practices and training for computer managers and technical personnel. Its website for assistance and contact information is http://www.cert.org.
A Tool for ESS CIP
During the last several days, portions of New England experienced the worst flooding to strike the area in nearly 70 years causing major failure or disruption in the region’s critical infrastructures. Floodwaters damaged or destroyed homes, roads, bridges, dams, water treatment plants, etc. This natural disaster has kept the Emergency Services Sector (ESS) over-employed in community rescue, evacuation, and sheltering activities in addition to protecting their own response capabilities (i.e., internal critical infrastructure).
Weather events strike often and predictably in certain areas, yet intermittently and unpredictably in others. Too frequently, these natural disasters threaten, degrade or annihilate community and emergency responder critical infrastructures. Therefore, in order to promote enhanced preparedness for “weather attacks,” the Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) reviewed the 2005 Infrastructure Report Card assembled by American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). The “Report Card” provides information about the presence and condition of various categories of critical infrastructures found in each state.
Within this “Report Card,” personnel involved in preparedness, response, mitigation, and recovery can find infrastructure reports under 12 categories in any of the 50 states, and check policy recommendations as well as proposed and scheduled (funded) improvements. Some states actually have large backlogs of maintenance funding. Others simply have large backlogs of needed maintenance. Two of the categories provide information about bridges and dams, which are infrastructure components currently under stress in portions of New England. Additionally, there are new categories added to the report since its last publication in 2003: rail, security, and public parks and recreation.
The EMR-ISAC considers the ASCE Report Card a free, user-friendly, and speedy planning tool to heighten awareness of potential threats to the 12 categories of infrastructures across the nation during extreme weather and other incidents.
Second Annual Firefighter Safety Stand Down
The Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) urges Emergency Services Sector (ESS) personnel to participate in the Second Annual National Firefighter Safety Stand Down scheduled for 21 June 2006.
An estimated 10,000 fire departments throughout the country suspended non-emergency activity last June 21st to focus on line-of-duty injury and death prevention. The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and its co-sponsors request that all departments take part in this year’s activities focused on emergency vehicle safety.
To facilitate ESS involvement, the IAFC assembled a web page of relevant resources on the topic of vehicle safety. In addition to nearly 25 vehicle-safety-related standard operating policies and guidelines (SOPs/SOGs) from a variety of states, the web page also offers training and drill topics, accident reports, journal and periodical articles, downloadable posters and handouts, and general vehicle safety resources. Soon to be added is a recommended stand down activity schedule.
“We must take dramatic steps to reduce the alarmingly high firefighter death and injury rates,” according to International Association of Firefighters President Harold Schaitberger. He added that while ESS safety must be part of everyday life, the stand down raises awareness of the issue and calls international attention to the unacceptable number of line-of-duty deaths.
The EMR-ISAC fully supports the stand down’s focus on protecting the vitally important personnel component of the ESS critical infrastructures.