Title: Emergency Services
Course: Critical Infrastructure: An Overview > Section: Course Content

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Emergency Services

Emergency Services are the services, the agencies that run them, and the first responders working for the agencies, that address emergencies. Police and other law enforcement, Fire and Rescue Services, and Emergency Medical Services are the three groups most people first think of when they think of emergencies, however there are five disciplines that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) describes as making up the Emergency Services critical infrastructure sector.

Five Disciplines Make Up the ESS:

1. Law Enforcement
2. Fire and Emergency Services
3. Emergency Management
4. Emergency Medical Services
5. Public Works

[1]

The Emergency Services Sector (ESS) has a, “main mission… to save lives, protect property and the environment, assist communities impacted by disasters and aid recovery during emergencies” [2]. The sector protects life, property, and work to keep order in times of emergency or disaster [2]. “The Emergency Services Sector (ESS) is a system of preparedness, response, and recovery elements that form the Nation’s first line of defense for preventing and mitigating the risk from physical and cyber attacks, and manmade and natural disasters” [3, p. i].

Emergency responders are the most valuable resource in the ESS, these people include both professionals and volunteers. Federal, state, and local agencies work together with partners from the private sector.

Why is Emergency Services Considered Critical Infrastructure?

ESS must be resilient, sustainable, and current – ready to respond to a disaster or emergency at any time.  Failure of the ESS could result in loss of life, injury, illness, economic hardships, poor public morale, lack of confidence, and diminished ability of government to keep order and provide services [3].

Some Specialized Things Included in the Emergency Services Sector Include:

- HAZMAT – Hazardous Materials
- SAR – Search and Rescue
- EOD – Explosive Ordinance Disposal
- SWAT – Special Weapons and Tactics and Tactical Operations
- Aviation Units
- PSAPs – Public Safety Answering Points

[1]

The Sector Specific Agency (SSA) for the ESS is the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Working closely with ESS and DHS are:  Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Emergency Management and Response Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC), Homeland Infrastructure Threat and Risk Analysis Center (HITRAC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the National Weather Service (NWS).

Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Challenges

Threats and Challenges to the ESS include:

- “Natural Threats
  - Earthquake
  - Flood
  - Hurricane
  - Storm
- Manmade Threats
  - Biological Weapons
  - Radiological Weapons
  - Chemical Weapons
- Workforce Threats
  - Human Error
  - Insider Threat
  - Pandemic Flu
- Cyber-Related Threats
  - Technological Hazard
  - Breakdown of Computer Aided Dispatch System”

[3, p. 43]

Vulnerabilities:

Communications

Communications are extremely important when dealing with emergencies and in some cases can prevent or mitigate threats. Many different methods of communication and notification are in place to help first responders as well as the public. Systems need to be robust, have redundancies in place, and best security practices must be followed. These communications systems: Virtual systems, 9-1-1 call systems, and NOAA weather alerts, are examples of some of the communications systems on which ESS depends.  New technology has made possible a more integrated approach to the alert and warning system, this new system is called the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) and began in 2006.  Please see the video below for more information on IPAWS.  Read more about emergency communications on the FCC website here.

Information Technology / Cyber Security

Many of the communications methods used in ESS would be negatively affected by a loss of Internet connectivity or could otherwise be harmed by cyber threats. There are both public (commercial) communications networks and government communications networks being used. The broad spectrum of communications systems makes this aspect of ESS difficult to protect.