Intelligence Guide for First Responders
(Source: Interagency Threat Assessment and Coordination Group)
The Interagency Threat Assessment and Coordination Group (ITACG) notified the Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) that the second edition of the Intelligence Guide for First Responders (PDF, 3.7 Mb) has been released.
Coordinated through the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the National Counterterrorism Center, this guide assists first responders in accessing and understanding federal intelligence reporting and also encourages information sharing. The information contained within the guide was derived, compiled, and adapted from existing unclassified Intelligence Community and open-source references.
This version updates the first edition published in October 2009. It includes two new sections:
(1) "Reporting Suspicious Activity," covering participation in the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative; and (2) "Joint Partnerships," highlighting a few of the joint federal and state, local, and tribal activities around the country. Printed copies should be available later this spring through state and major urban area fusion centers and also Joint Terrorism Task Forces.
The following legal disclaimer applies: “Nothing in this handbook shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect the authority granted by law to a department or agency, or the head thereof. Additionally, the handbook is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable by law or in equity, by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.”
National Disaster Recovery Program Database
(Source: Federal Emergency Management Agency)
T he Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) learned that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) created a web-based tool called the “ National Disaster Recovery Program Database ” (NDRPD) (PDF, 207 Kb). This expedient provides data on a range of programs from all levels of government along with the private and non-profit sectors to help communities rebuild after a disaster.
The NDRPD serves as a central location for state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, emergency managers, and emergency planners to view and investigate recovery programs sponsored by governments as well as for-profit, non-profit, and charitable organizations. This user-friendly web site will provide easy access to information, improve the visibility of programs that can help communities, and allow communities to focus on those programs best suited to their needs through convenient tools.
Specifically, the NDRPD facilitates the location of information on program recipients, eligibility criteria, resources offered, application process, contact information, a web site for additional information, and more.
National Pipeline Mapping System
(Source: Department of Transportation)
The National Pipeline Mapping System (NPMS) is a geographic information system (GIS) dataset of hazardous liquid and gas transmission pipeline locations. Breakout Tank and Liquefied Natural Gas Plant data is also available. The system was created by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, and Office of Pipeline Safety in cooperation with other federal and state government agencies and the pipeline safety industry.
When examining the NPMS, the Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) ascertained that it consists of geospatial data, attribute data, public contact information, and metadata pertaining to the interstate and intrastate hazardous liquid trunklines and hazardous liquid low-stress lines, as well as gas transmission pipelines, liquefied natural gas plants, and hazardous liquid breakout tanks within the legal authority of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.
The Pipeline Integrity Management Mapping Application (PIMMA) (PDF, 129 Kb) is an online mapping application on the NPMS web site. It includes an interactive map with easy to use tools, queries, and additional data layers. Having relevance for emergency managers and first responders, PIMMA accommodates viewing locations and attribute information for pipelines in specific jurisdictions, and also creating PDF maps for printing.
Any verifiable local government employee can initiate a jurisdictional Data Request at no charge for compilation, media or delivery. To submit a request, send an e-mail to NPMS following the instructions seen after clicking on the Pipeline Data link at this PIMMA window.
Crisis Response Toolkit
(Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
According to the Executive Summary of the Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) Toolkit (PDF, 1.2 Mb), public health and emergency management professionals must be prepared to respond to and meet the needs of the affected public following any type of disaster. Therefore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) produced the CASPER toolkit to address the ongoing challenges that public health and other emergency response officials confront in identifying, preparing for, responding to, and mitigating disasters like large-scale outbreaks of infectious diseases.
The Emergency Management and Response—Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) noted that the toolkit was designed particularly to assist public health practitioners and emergency management officials in the collection of important health intelligence during a potential mass casualty disaster. Its main objective is to support these professionals when rapidly determining the health status and fundamental requirements of the concerned community.
This toolkit was developed as a guideline for field staff conducting CASPER activities. Additionally, it provides quantitative post-disaster assessment procedures that can identify the health status and basic needs such as food, water, and shelter of the distressed population.
More information about CASPER can be seen in the article by Homeland Security Today. |
