Emergency Management and Response

Information Sharing and Analysis Center

Critical Infrastructure Protection Month
(Sources: White House and Department of Homeland Security)

The Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) acknowledges that the President of the United States proclaimed December 2010 as Critical Infrastructure Protection Month. In his Proclamation, President Obama highlighted the vast network of systems and structures that sustain the vigor and vitality of the nation. He emphasized: “These critical infrastructures include the assets, networks, and functions—physical and virtual—essential to the security, economic welfare, public health, and safety of the United States.”

From energy systems powering neighborhoods, to transportation networks moving people around communities and throughout the country, to facilities providing safe drinking water, to emergency services protecting life and property, critical infrastructures affect nearly every aspect daily life. Therefore, the Secretary of Homeland Security Napolitano stated that we must be very mindful of the risks to critical infrastructure posed by terrorists, pandemic diseases, and natural disasters.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) oversees programs and resources that foster public-private partnerships, enhance protective programs, and build resilience to withstand and recover rapidly from the consequences of natural or man-made disasters. Key DHS activities in those areas include the following:

On behalf of the Emergency Services Sector, the EMR-ISAC exists to collect, analyze, synthesize, and disseminate information regarding the infrastructure protection and resilience of emergency departments and agencies. Sector personnel, who are not receiving this no-cost information, should contact the EMR-ISAC at emr-isac@dhs.gov or at 301-447-1325.

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Carbon Monoxide: “The Silent Killer”
(Source: Safety Online)

The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) recently announced to their respective members the launch of “The Silent Killer” educational campaign. Their joint effort aims to raise awareness of the duty-related danger of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning and reducing the known risk factors that kill or injure firefighters each year.

The Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) viewed the six-minute video that highlights the immediate and long-term health risks associated with CO exposure, the emotional impact these risks can have on first responders and their families, and advocates proper prevention strategies. “Too many of our fire rescuers and first responders do not believe they are in danger and, consequently, do not adequately protect themselves from becoming unknowing victims of CO poisoning,” said the producer and narrator of the video, who is a vocal advocate for CO awareness and prevention since his own CO near-death experience 20 years ago.

According to a Safety Online article, this new education campaign urges emergency responders to take personal responsibility for their health and safety by recognizing the occupational hazards of CO exposure and wearing protective masks during both active fire and overhaul operations to prevent needless risks. It also encourages responder personnel to get their CO levels tested on the fire scene with an approved noninvasive portable device and, if elevated, to seek immediate treatment, even if they are feeling well.

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Making Policing More Affordable
(Source: National Institute of Justice)

City governments across the United States today are spending more money on policing than they did 25 years ago, according to the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics. The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) recently reported that this rise in costs of policing has spurred debates about how to best pay for policing considering the current fiscal crisis among state and local governments. In response to this issue, the NIJ released the paper, “Making Policing More Affordable: Managing Costs and Measuring Value in Policing,” (PDF, 462.5 KB) to answer two major questions: (1) What is driving up the costs of policing? (2) What return on their investment in policing are cities and their residents receiving?

The Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) observed the paper compares policing costs and returns for Mesa, Arizona, with other nearby cities in the vicinity of Phoenix and other medium-sized cities across the country. It also considers strategies now being tested for managing the rising costs of policing, including efforts to cut spending, raise productivity, revalue the benefits of policing, and reengineering operations.

The paper is one of a series of papers that are being published as a result of the second “Executive Session on Policing and Public Safety,” a collaboration of NIJ and Harvard Kennedy School's Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management.

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2009 Fire Estimate Summary
(Source: U.S. Fire Administration)

The Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) was notified that the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) issued the 2009 Fire Estimate Summary Series, which presents basic information on the size and status of the fire problem in the United States as depicted through data collected in the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS).

Individual summaries are issued as part of the Fire Estimate Summary Series and address the size of a specific fire or fire-related issue as well as underscore important data trends. As part of this series, 17 summaries have been issued presenting basic information on the leading causes of residential building and nonresidential building fires, deaths, injuries, and dollar losses for 2009, and highlighting overall trends in these leading causes for the 5-year period of 2005 to 2009. Additional new and updated fire estimate summaries will be periodically released under this series as future year data become available.

“Each fire estimate summary is a great resource for communities to quickly get basic data on fire issues that are currently impacting our nation's communities,” said Glenn Gaines, Acting U.S. Fire Administrator. See the USFA website for more information regarding other statistical reports or available training.

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DISCLAIMER of ENDORSEMENT

The U.S. Fire Administration/EMR-ISAC does not endorse the organizations sponsoring linked web sites, and does not endorse the views they express or the products/services they offer.

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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U.S. Fire Administration · U.S. Department of Homeland Security · Emmitsburg, MD 21727 · (301) 447-1325