Period of Increased Risk
High profile events between May 27, 2004 and January 20, 2005 thrust the United States into a period of increased risk with symbolic opportunities for terrorists. The specific target rich occasions during this time frame are the National WWII Memorial Dedication in Washington DC, 27-29 May; G-8 Summit in Georgia, 8-10 June; Democratic National Convention in Boston, 26-29 July; Republican National Convention in New York, 30 August-3 September; Presidential Election nationwide, 2 November; and the Presidential Inauguration in Washington DC, 20 January.
Homeland security officials confirmed no credible information exists that any of these occurrences will be attacked. Therefore, they are currently planning to keep the Homeland Security Advisory System at Level YELLOW. However, they also stress that the pending events present a lucrative "window for te"rrorists to conduct high-casualty attacks in this nation that can potentially incapacitate or destroy critical infrastructures, key resources, and the "American will."
Considering the probability for terrorist exploitation of the high profile events between now and 20 January, the EMR-ISAC encourages critical infrastructure protection (CIP) and hazard mitigation activities by those communities and emergency first response agencies that are located at or nearby the six locations identified in the first paragraph. EMR Sector leaders can capitalize on the little remaining time to aggressively ensure that all communications, procedures, resources, and processes are updated and rehearsed as a deterrence to, or preparation for a possible attack.
Proposed Protective Measures
Since 9/11, much has been written regarding how communities and organizations should implement security procedures to protect their assets and resources against terrorism. Many decision-makers complain about "information overload" on this necessary topic. Regardless, the leaders of the EMR Sector must be concerned about the time-efficient and cost-effective application of the protective measures that will guarantee the perpetual "response-ability" of their departments and agencies. This is why the EMR-ISAC developed the CIP Process Job Aid published by the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). The document helps to determine exactly which personnel, physical assets, and communication systems really need protection: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/doc/cipc-jobaid.doc.
Although the CIP Process Job Aid has a focus on protecting critical infrastructures, counterterrorism specialists recommend several general protective measures to enhance any organization
