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Volume 21 — Issue 11 | March 18, 2021

Researchers see need for warnings about long range wildfire smoke

Researchers at Colorado State University recently published a study on the health impacts of long-range wildfire smoke. The study, Differential Cardiopulmonary Health Impacts of Local and Long-Range Transport of Wildfire Smoke, is published in GeoHealth, a journal from the American Geophysical Union.

Researchers know that wildfire smoke is associated with increased hospitalizations for asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and some cardiovascular health outcomes. However, less is known about how harmful smoke is as it travels and becomes long range smoke.

The research team separated out health effects of smoke local to the wildfire versus the health effects of long-range smoke. Long range smoke was associated with increases in hospitalizations and increased risk of death from cardiovascular outcomes.

Over the last five years, air quality monitoring networks have been enhanced with new technologies and better measurements of real-time smoke effects. Researchers are now collaborating with local government officials on messaging related to the different types of wildfire smoke, with a specific aim to reach the most vulnerable populations.

The research team believes that evacuation efforts and media coverage of local wildfires may have helped protect residents from adverse health effects of local smoke exposure as well as direct impacts of the fires. This messaging could be extended to reach people affected by long range smoke.

(Sources: American Geophysical Union, ScienceDaily.com)

Calling all firefighters: A new research study wants to hear from you

First responders are seeing a significant increase in the amount and types of data available to them while responding to emergencies. To maximize the value of these data sources, user interfaces (UIs) need to be designed to allow first responders to interact effectively with the data and respond in a timely manner, without inducing undue errors or additional mental workload.

North Carolina State University, is seeking current and past firefighters over the age of 18 to participate in a web-based study focused on an emergency response scenario. The scenario will be set in a subway and require participants to search for a disabled rail car. During the virtual response, participants will be offered virtual heads-up displays (HUDs) with information which they will later be asked to evaluate.

This study will help shed light on how heads-up displays (HUDs) should be designed to support the goals of first responders and how information should be presented to first responders in order to improve task performance, reduce mental workload, and improve interface usability. The study results will inform best-practices for designing HUDs that are most helpful for first responders.

The study requires that participants have web browser access via desktop or laptop computer. Firefighters who are interested in participating can visit the project website and click on the Research Study Participants page.

Data will be collected until May 1, 2021. The results will be presented at several conferences.

If you or members of your organization might be eligible and interested in participating in the study, see NIST’s flyer about the study for more information.

(Source: NIST)

Highlights

Researchers see need for warnings about long range wildfire smoke

Calling all firefighters: A new research study wants to hear from you

National Response Framework Policy Landscape Analysis Tool aids understanding of foundational emergency management doctrine

Webinar: What the COVID-19 vaccine means for EMS operations

Cyber Threats

The U.S. Fire Administration operates the Emergency Management and Response – Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC).

For information regarding the EMR-ISAC visit www.usfa.dhs.gov/emr-isac or contact the EMR-ISAC office at: (301) 447-1325 and/or fema-emr-isac@fema.dhs.gov.

National Response Framework Policy Landscape Analysis Tool aids understanding of foundational emergency management doctrine

Responding to disasters and emergencies requires the cooperation of a variety of organizations. In any given disaster, the number and variety of roles involved, and how these roles interact to coordinate with one another, can become quite complex.

The National Response Framework (NRF) provides foundational emergency management doctrine on how the Nation responds to all types of incidents. This Framework is built on scalable, flexible, and adaptable concepts identified in the National Incident Management System (NIMS) to align key roles and responsibilities across the Nation.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has just launched a tool to make the NRF more user-friendly and accessible to the NRF’s broad audience. The National Response Framework Policy Landscape Analysis Tool is the result of a small, internally funded effort to explore the National Response Framework (NRF) in a format conductive to visualization and comprehension. The tool includes a sunburst visualization of all roles and responsibilities and how they are divided across entities, an NRF taxonomy, and a Responsibilities Index which can be filtered by partner, role, community lifeline or other emergency support functions.

The NRF is intended to be used by a very broad audience of communities; the private sector; NGOs; local, state, tribal, territorial, and insular area governments; and the Federal Government, as well as other entities involved in response. Infrastructure owners and operators (in private and public sectors), and other elements of the private sector, are especially important partners for incident response and a key audience for the Framework.

The NRF Policy Landscape tool is free and intended for use by anyone interested in national response to disasters.

You can view and download the NRF at FEMA’s website. The NRF Policy Landscape Analysis tool is available on the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s website.

(Source: PNNL)

Webinar: What the COVID-19 vaccine means for EMS operations

Millions of EMS clinicians and members of the public across the nation have now received a COVID-19 vaccine. But exactly what does that mean for EMS systems and organizations? The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), Office of EMS is hosting a webinar in its EMS Focus webinar series to provide the opportunity to learn what we know, and what we don’t know yet, about how the vaccines are changing our approach to the coronavirus pandemic. You’ll hear from experts helping to create and implement guidance for EMS services during these unprecedented times. They’ll address topics such as:

• Testing and quarantine implications
• EMS clinicians who have not been vaccinated
• Vaccines and coronavirus variants

This webinar will be held on Thursday, March 25, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 pm EST.

Attendees will be encouraged to submit questions during any point of the discussion. The webinar and question and answer period will last approximately one hour.

To register, visit NHTSA Office of EMS’ registration page for this event.

(Source: NHTSA)

Cyber Information and Incident Assistance Links

MS-ISAC
SOC@cisecurity.org
1-866-787-4722

IdentityTheft.gov

IC3

Cybercrime Support Network

General Information
Links

FTC scam list

CISA alerts

Law Enforcement Cyber Center

TLP Information

Verkada disables accounts after reports its security cameras were breached

Following reports that live feeds from over 150,000 of its security cameras were exposed, including those situated in prisons, hospitals, schools, police stations, and Tesla factories, Verkada has disabled accounts to prevent further access.

According to Bloomberg, a group of hackers accessed the data collected by the Silicon Valley startup. The hackers are reported as saying they also have access to the full video archive of all Verkada customers.

Bloomberg claims to have sighted footage validating the details of the breach. Commentary provided to Bloomberg from the hackers claiming responsibility for the incident said the breach intended to show the pervasiveness of video surveillance and the ease with which systems could be broken into.

The startup claims over 5,200 customers. It is understood customers of the startup have been made aware of the issue.

(Source: ZDNet)

2021 Cybersecurity Spring Cleaning Checklist

Spring is not just a good time for cleaning your house or apartment, it’s also a good time to clean up your technology and cyber footprint.

Throughout the year, especially around the holidays and during tax season, you extend your cyber footprint by paying bills, shopping, using social media, and many other digital activities whether for business or pleasure. Spring cleaning your space is meant to improve the air quality after having it closed up all winter, and cleaning can improve your mood and remove a year’s worth of clutter. Cleaning your technology and cyber footprint can do the same thing; it removes clutter from your life while at the same time protecting you and your loved ones.

While spring cleaning, you often make a list to ensure you don’t forget to clean the spots you don’t normally think about, like behind the sofa or on top of the fridge. To help you spring clean your technology and cyber footprint, we have developed a checklist to help you through the process. And just like spring cleaning your house, you can assign these tasks to your family.

Read the full article for the complete list of recommendations from the MS-ISAC.

(Source: Center for Internet Security)

Microsoft releases one-click mitigation tool for Exchange Server hacks

Microsoft has released a one-click mitigation tool as a stop-gap for IT admins who still need to apply security patches to protect their Exchange servers.

Released on Monday, March 15, the tool is designed to mitigate the threat posed by four actively-exploited vulnerabilities that have collectively caused havoc for organizations worldwide.

Microsoft released emergency fixes for the critical vulnerabilities on March 2. However, the company estimates that at least 82,000 internet-facing servers are still unpatched and vulnerable to attack.

The Microsoft Exchange On-Premises Mitigation Tool has been designed to help customers that might not have security or IT staff on hand to help and has been tested across Exchange Server 2013, 2016, and 2019.

(Source: ZDNet)

Basic and no-cost steps agencies can take to defend against hackers

High profile hacking incidents in recent months, as well as ransomware attacks targeting cities and other public sector entities over the past couple of years, serve as a reminder of the cybersecurity risks that state and local governments have to contend with.

For smaller-sized localities and agencies, in particular, tackling these sorts of threats can be a challenge given limited staff and tight funding. But there are some low-cost and relatively straightforward steps that state and local governments can take to protect themselves.

Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, or MS-ISAC, outlined some of these measures during an online session held as part of Govapalooza, an event for local government leaders.

• One key step governments can take to protect their networks is to frequently “patch” software and operating systems with updates meant to eliminate security gaps.
• Making sure that firewalls are up to date and that antivirus software is installed and running.
• Adopting strong password standards and potentially considering two-factor authentication,
• Backing up data.
• Testing back-ups regularly.

(Source: Route Fifty)

The InfoGram is distributed weekly to provide members of the Emergency Services Sector with information concerning the protection of their critical infrastructures.

Fair Use Notice:
This InfoGram may contain copyrighted material that was not specifically authorized by the copyright owner. The EMR-ISAC believes this constitutes “fair use” of copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use copyrighted material contained within this document for your own purposes that go beyond “fair use,” you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Disclaimer of Endorsement:
The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement of the linked websites or the information, products or services contained therein. Reference to any specific commercial products, process or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation or favoring by the EMR-ISAC or the U.S. government.

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Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act requires that FEMA grantees provide access to information for people with disabilities. If you need assistance accessing information or have any concerns about access, please contact FEMAWebTeam@fema.dhs.gov.