Pranknet Information
(Sources: ABC News and the Orange County Sheriff's Office)
Pranksters from Pranknet, also known as Prank University or Prank U, have been targeting lodging and restaurants nationwide causing mayhem, fear among victims, and physical damage to these facilities.
The Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) received notification from the Orange County (FL) Sheriff's Office that pranksters will typically call a hotel and request to be connected to a specific room. The pranksters identify themselves as hotel employees, alarm company representatives, emergency services, or 9-1-1 dispatchers. They inform the guest that a fire or gas leak has just occurred in the hotel that requires guest assistance. The guest is directed to commit bizarre acts such as activating fire sprinklers and fire alarms, and to throw a television through a window.
There have been four separate prankster incidents from October 2010 through January 2011. The most recent event happened at an Omaha hotel resulting in over $115,000 in damages and the temporary closure of several rooms and meeting space. In this and all other prankster incidents, emergency personnel responded to the false alarms, which have further contributed to exhausting the scarce resources of first responder departments and agencies.
To minimize these false alarms and perform a community service, Emergency Service Sector organizations can alert hotels and restaurants in their jurisdiction regarding prankster activities. The facility owners and managers should be encouraged to thoroughly brief their staff and develop measures to protect their establishment from prankster incidents.
NIMS Supporting Technology
(Source: Emergency Management and FEMA)
From an article in Emergency Management , the Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) learned that emergency management directors throughout the United States must sometimes make quick decisions to save lives and property in emergency situations. Preferably, “these decisions should be based on timely information obtained from a myriad of disparate data sources integrated and collated through interoperable system platforms.” One major decision that emergency managers must make on a recurring basis is the selection of technology tools for their organization that will improve information sharing and analysis to support life-safety decisions.
As a resource for emergency managers, the National Incident Management System (NIMS) Support Center provides the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and response community with a suite of products and services to present a comprehensive, nationwide, and systematic approach to incident management. Through the NIMS Support Center, FEMA offers a project to assist the emergency services with interoperability test and evaluation (T&E).
The NIMS Support Center manages the NIMS Supporting Technology Evaluation Program (NIMS STEP), which conducts T&E of technologies relating to incident management and response. “T&E activities verify commercial and government software and hardware product interoperability, and provide the response community with reports to support purchasing decisions. NIMS STEP evaluates incident management-related software and hardware against NIMS criteria, core target capabilities, and NIMS technical standards.” This service is free of charge to Emergency Services Sector departments and agencies.
National Interoperability Field Operations Guide
(Source: Department of Homeland Security)
The Office of Emergency Communications recently published the National Interoperability Field Operations Guide (PDF, 532 Kb) (NIFOG) as a reference document for public safety radio technicians and communications planners. According to its introduction, “This guide is ideal for those establishing or repairing emergency communications in a disaster area.”
The Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) noted that t he waterproof, pocket-sized guide contains radio regulations, tables of radio channels, and technical reference information. It additionally includes a listing of land mobile radio (LMR) frequencies often used in disasters or other incidents where radio interoperability is required.
Public safety communications professionals and emergency communications specialists in private voluntary organizations can receive reasonable quantities of the NIFOG at no charge by completing the NIFOG request form.
See the announcement for more NIFOG information.
Respiratory Protection of Healthcare Workers
(Source: Department of Homeland Security and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
The Department of Homeland Security Office of Health Affairs notified the Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) produced a new training video for healthcare employers and workers explaining the proper use of respirators and the procedures to follow to assure respirators protect workers from airborne hazards in healthcare settings.
The 33-minute video explains the major components of a respiratory protection program including fit-testing, medical evaluations, training, and maintenance. The video also discusses the difference between respirators and surgical masks, features a segment on common respiratory hazards found in healthcare settings, and demonstrates how respirator use helps protect workers from exposure to airborne chemicals.
See here for another link to the OSHA training video.
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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. |
