Here are two topics for your consideration, courtesy of EMR-ISAC. Firstly, while on deployment with a served agency, consider security risks in making photocopies of sensitive documents and secondly, identification security for facilities.

ARES(r) Actions:

• You may wish to determine if your photocopier saves document copies and if so, what provision is made to encrypt or destroy the archived copies.

• When asked to deploy by a served agency, always bring suitable government-issued identification and a current ARES® ID card, preferably laminated with your photograph. All security ID cards are required to expire in two years or less so this is a good time to check your ARES ID and if you need a new one, provide a recent passport-style photograph approximately 1¼ by 1 inch in size to your ARES supervisor so a current ID may be issued. Expect to present two forms of identification when you seek entrance into a secured facility or perimeter-controlled area. As a memory aid, ARES ID's might be keyed to expire on a memorable date such as 9-11-xxxx.

Photocopiers: Information Security Risk

"Warnings about identity theft from mailbox thieves, computer hackers, e-mail scams, lost laptops, etc., have been publicized for several years.  However, only recently have experts occasionally reminded that digital photocopiers could be another risk to the identity and information security of individuals and organizations.  The Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) learned from CBS News that nearly every photocopier built since 2002 contains a hard drive, which stores an image of each document copied, scanned, or e-mailed by the machine.

With the same kind of data-storage mechanism found in computers, the seemingly innocuous machines used to make copies of sensitive personal and organizational information can indefinitely retain the data being copied or scanned.  According to an article in msnbc.com, industry experts say sensitive information from original documents could get into the wrong hands if the data on the copier's disk are not protected with encryption or an overwrite mechanism.  Unfortunately, as is the case within the private sector, the majority of digital machines used by Emergency Services Sector (ESS) departments and agencies are probably unprotected and vulnerable targets.

The EMR-ISAC confirmed that some photocopier vendors have begun offering a security kit to encrypt and overwrite images being copied or scanned and to prevent storage on the hard disks.  A Xerox technical marketing manager said that many government agencies, financial institutions, and defense contractors dealing with sensitive information have initiated policies to ensure copier disks are either secured or effectively sanitized when the rental lease expires or the machine is sold.  It would be prudent for ESS organizations to consider these same precautions to avoid potential information security risks."



Physical Security Guidance

"Recognizing the interdependent relationship between critical infrastructure protection, resilience, and physical security, the E mergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) examined the basic measures of a time-efficient, cost-effective, and common sense approach to bolster physical security by Emergency Services Sector (ESS) department and agencies. The following physical security guidance for ESS leaders responsible for any type of physical location was summarized from a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) poster (PDF, 1 MB).  (NOTE: This particular poster is the third in a series of four security posters at the hyperlink.)

·         Monitor and control everyone entering the workplace.
·         Check personal identification of non-employees and ascertain the purpose of the visit.
·         Repair broken doors, windows, and locks as soon as possible.
·         Make back-up copies of sensitive information and databases.
·         Observe and report to local law enforcement any suspicious activity in or near the   workplace.
·         Report suspicious packages to local police without opening or touching.
·         Shred or destroy sensitive documents or information no longer needed.
·         Maintain an updated inventory of critical equipment, hardware, and software.
·         Lock personal items such as wallets and purses when not actively attended.
·         Ensure keys, access cards, uniforms, badges, and vehicles are frequently inventoried and locked when not in use.

The EMR-ISAC located additional guidance for improving the physical security of emergency facilities and equipment at a 2009 DHS document: Physical Security Performance Measures (PDF, 631 Kb)."

73,

K5RIK

FM scanning receivers are plentiful and cheap these days. Used scanners can be had on eBay or at the local flea market or swap fest for a song. New low-end scanners are affordable and can be found at the local Radio Shack store, or online at various outlets. Many have cool features that allow for faster scanning, searching for unknown frequencies, multiple bands, programming via computer, alpha tagging, pre-loaded frequencies and more. Higher priced models can follow modern trunking systems, and some can receive digital modes like P25 and ProVoice.

If you thought you'd outgrown your scanner when you got your ham ticket, consider some of the ways a scanner might help you during an emergency net or public service event...

• 2nd VFO: When combined with a mobile radio, a scanner can be used as that 2nd VFO you couldn't afford. Use it to monitor the local simplex traffic while keeping your big radio tuned to the main net. For that matter, it could serve as a 3rd and 4th VFO. But beware of trying to monitor too many frequencies at once, as it increases the chance you may miss an important piece of traffic on one of them.
• RF Capture: Many new scanners feature the ability to act as a frequency counter and capture any strong signals nearby (Radio Shack's "Signal Stalker" and Uniden's "Close Call"). These scanners can be used to "suss out" the public safety or commercial frequencies being used during an event, or capture side conversations on the ham frequencies.
• Finding the Net: When called upon to assist in a disaster away from your home area, you might arrive without prior knowledge of the local repeaters in use. Keeping a scanner programmed with all common 2 meter and 70cm repeater output frequencies can help you figure out where the emergency nets are. Then, if you have a mobile radio that supports "tone scan", you find quickly figure out the PL tone in use on that frequency.

Here is a list of the 2 meter repeater outputs available in the ARRL bandplan:

It is a good time to review home safety practices with your family, check your NOAA weather radio, and check out your SkyWarn gear prior to the season.

Tornado Season

Weather forecasters at the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) of the National Weather Service (NWS) predicted that the United States will experience an active tornado season this year.  SPC meteorologists believe: "More tornadoes and other damaging storms may strike the Midwest this spring because cooler temperatures are on course to clash with warmer air pushed into the central U.S. by El Nino."

"Tornadoes are nature's most violent storms," according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) web site.  "Spawned from powerful thunderstorms, tornadoes can cause fatalities and devastate a neighborhood in seconds.  A tornado appears as a rotating, funnel-shaped cloud that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground with whirling winds that can reach 300 miles per hour.  Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide and 50 miles long."  Although more frequently occurring in "Tornado Alley" of the Midwest (i.e., CO, KS, NE, SD, OK, and TX), every state is at some risk from this hazard.

Recognizing that tornadoes are a threat to the critical infrastructures of Emergency Services Sector (ESS) departments and agencies, in addition to citizens and their property, the Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) ascertained from the NWS that 800 tornadoes are reported nationwide each year.  These weather events usually result in approximately 80 deaths and over 1,500 injuries annually.  "Last year, 1,156 tornadoes occurred throughout the country and 21 people were killed."

To assist ESS organizations with the consideration of protective and resilience measures for tornado incidents, the EMR-ISAC excerpted the following FEMA facts about this weather phenomenon:

·         May strike quickly with little or no warning.
·         Can appear nearly transparent until a funnel-shaped cloud forms.
·         Generally move Southwest to Northeast, but can travel in any direction.
·         Average forward speed is 30 MPH, but can reach up to 70 MPH.
·         Could accompany tropical storms and hurricanes as they move onto land.
·         More frequently happen east of the Rocky Mountains during spring and summer months.
·         March through May is peak season in southern states; May through July in the northern   states.
·         Most likely occur between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m., but can happen at any time.   

More information about tornadoes can be found at "The Online Tornado FAQ," which is a web site of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
--
73,

K5RIK

ARES® Familiarization: Railroad Incidents, Free On-Line Course  

The Association of American Railroads data shows that in the US, there are around 300,000 carloads of rail traffic shipped weekly. In 2007, there were 13,067 railroad related accidents, according to the Federal Railroad Administration's Office of Safety Analysis. In the United States, statistics show that approximately every two hours a railroad accident occurs in which a train strikes a pedestrian or vehicle.  Many of these incidents occur in rural areas.

In the event of ARES activation in support of communications needs at a railroad incident, the following familiarization may be of assistance:

Railroad Incident Training

"The Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC) learned that CSX launched a free, online training program, which takes less than an hour to help local emergency responders manage incidents involving rail property and equipment.  CSX offers participants the opportunity to gain an understanding of how railroads operate, of possible hazards, and of protocols to keep responders safe.

The educational section of the training is divided into the following four topics, which are then subdivided:

• Providing basics on safety-working near the rails, movements on tracks, equipment precautions.
• CSX Operations-railroad personnel, Unified Command structure, shipping papers.
• Initial response-preplanning, contact railroad personnel, hazardousness materials, other railroad incidents.
• Railroad equipment-locomotives, freight cars, tank cars, passenger trains.

The EMR-ISAC verified that upon completion, students receive a certificate after passing the on-line quiz."

73,

K5RIK