14 Sep 2002
Emergency Responder Awareness Advisory From FEMA/USFA
More Suspicious Activities at Fire Houses...
More suspicious activities at fire and emergency medical service departments have occurred. During the month of August, three engine companies of the St. Louis Fire Department reported incidents involving male subjects of "middle eastern" appearance who fled the scene when approached or questioned.
At one Engine Company the suspect was observed video taping the fire house. At another company the subject escaped after video taping the facility and the apparatus inside. At a third location the suspect entered the fire house and made inquiries regarding the size, floor space, and load capacity of the ambulance housed therein.
These recent events reinforce the necessity for all emergency response departments to remain vigilant for data collection by potential adversaries. They are reminders that all department personnel must fight complacency and remain ready to quickly stop unauthorized information gathering by the questions and filming of alleged visitors. Also, first responders should avoid sharing information with unknown individuals who communicate by telephone or electronic mail. Intelligence experts confirm that terrorists study the information they obtain to identify existing vulnerabilities and to plan their attacks accordingly.
Failure to prevent unsanctioned collection of details about the fire and emergency medical services may jeopardize the critical infrastructures upon which the protection of life and property depends. It is as important to avert as the theft of uniforms and vehicles used by emergency responders.
When a suspicious incident occurs such as the ones mentioned above, in addition to notifying the local authorities, the National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC) requests contact using the NIPC information seen at the bottom of this INFOGRAM. Notification of the NIPC will enable their specialists to attempt identification of the patterns, methods, and sources of past and future malicious actions directed against the critical infrastructures of emergency first responders. -- Go to the USFA CIP Report
Piper: found this on http://www.emergency.com/firepage.htm
3,836 posted on 08/02/2004 6:58:14 AM CDT by MWestMom
ping and Welcome to TM!!!