New National Terrorism Advisory System
(Source: Department of Homeland Security)
As substantiated by a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Press Release , Secretary Napolitano announced that DHS will discontinue the color-coded alerts of the Homeland Security Advisory System. It will be replaced by the National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS), “to more effectively communicate information about terrorist threats by providing timely, detailed information to the public, government agencies, first responders, airports and other transportation hubs, and the private sector.” Secretary Napolitano further stated: “This new system is built on a clear and simple premise: when a credible threat develops that could impact the public, we will tell you and provide whatever information we can so that you know how to keep yourselves, your families, and your communities safe.”
The Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) noted that the NTAS will be implemented over the next 90 days, beginning 27 January, in order for DHS and federal, state, local, tribal, community, and private sector partners to transition to the new system.
Under the new system, DHS will coordinate with other federal entities to issue formal, detailed alerts when the federal government receives information about a specific or credible terrorist threat. These alerts will include a comprehensible statement that there is an “imminent threat” or “elevated threat.” The alerts will also provide a concise summary of the potential threat, information about actions being taken to ensure public safety, and recommended steps that governments, communities, businesses, and individuals can take.
NTAS alerts will be based on the nature of the threat. “In some cases, alerts will be sent directly to law enforcement or affected areas of the private sector, while in others, alerts will be issued more broadly to the American people through both official and medial channels.” An NTAS website has been created to provide additional information about the system.
The EMR-ISAC will follow NTAS developments over the next 90 days, and will report additional details about the system as appropriate in future INFOGRAMs.
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Threat-based Response Patterns for Emergency Services
(Source: Homeland Security Affairs Journal)
The “frontline duties” of America's emergency services have changed in the last decade, according to an article in the Homeland Security Affairs Journal by Robert T. Mahoney, a retired FBI agent whose career included many terrorism matters. “First responder organizations have had to coordinate the work of each of their operational and administrative elements to create response patterns that specifically address today's highly dangerous operational environment,” as stated by the author.
The Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) observed that the purpose of Mr. Mahoney's paper is to consider how a number of operational and administrative skills and abilities, familiar to the emergency services, but not necessarily suited to meeting the current terrorist condition, should be re-examined and corrected. His article demonstrates how those familiar elements are not isolated, independent issues, but parts of a continuum of the same problem
(i.e., the threat) that must be addressed comprehensively to meet requirements for operating in this current perilous environment.
This article reviews what an Emergency Services Sector department should understand about the elements of threat, risk, security, resources, crisis leadership, training, and planning. It also reveals how gaining an understanding of each of these elements both informs and improves all the other elements. With this comprehension, “an organization should be better prepared to apply response patterns to counter the terrorist threat, protect its personnel, fulfill its mandate, and continue to serve the community.”
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Pre-Planned Events: An Aid to Preparedness
(Source: Domestic Preparedness Journal)
The Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) consulted t he January issue of the DomPrep Journal, which contained an article (PDF, 4 Mb) regarding the excellent opportunity pre-planned special events provide to exercise the Incident Command System (ICS). Written by Joseph Cahill, a medicolegal investigator for the Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the paper discusses that pre-planned events are ideal because “they use real resources in real time, but with ample preparation time to warm up and/or double-check untested systems.”
Mr. Cahill uses the example of the Boston Marathon, which crosses several political jurisdictions along a distance of 26 miles, and requires that each city and town on the route coordinate its activities with responders from the other participating communities. This event almost always generates more than a few patients, resulting from exhaustion or other reasons, at unpredictable intervals over a fairly large geographic area.
Although this approach may not be as “actual” and “unexpected” as desired, responders still have a superb opportunity to become familiar with untested resources before they are needed under the pressure of a true emergency. “By sharpening the resources available during pre-planned events, responders will be more ready for the unplanned events lurking over the horizon of every jurisdiction in the entire country.”
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New Emergency Medical Services Courses
(Source: U.S. Fire Administration)
The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) notified the Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) that the National Fire Academy (NFA) completed development of the first two new Emergency Medical Services (EMS) courses. According to the USFA Press Release, these courses are in response to the USFA Reauthorization Act of 2008, which directed NFA to provide advanced EMS training. “Six additional courses are in the process of development or revision.”
The Emergency Medical Services Quality Management Course (R158) provides the critical components, background, and principles associated with the implementation, or enhancement, of a department's Quality Management Program. The course teaches how to create, implement, and maintain a Quality Management Program, including historical examples, current models, and best practices of quality assurance and improvement, process improvement, and data collection and analysis.
The Emergency Medical Services Functions in the Incident Command System (W166) is a two-day course offering to be conducted either on the National Emergency Training Center campus or locally through partnerships with State and metropolitan fire service training organizations. Students will practice use of the Incident Command System (ICS) in coordination with other public safety responders. The course will present scenarios requiring responders to structure their EMS resources according to ICS guidance as appropriate to the needs of the different incident types.
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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. |
