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Volume 21 — Issue 40 | October 7, 2021

NVFC and IAFC release update to Lavender Ribbon Report on 11 best practices to prevent firefighter cancer

Cancer is a leading health risk facing today’s firefighters. Studies have shown that firefighters have higher rates of many types of cancer than the general population, due to the occupational hazards they face.

The National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) and International Association of Fire Chiefs’ (IAFC’s) Volunteer and Combination Officers Section (VCOS) released the Lavender Ribbon Report: Best Practices for Preventing Firefighter Cancer in August 2018, presenting 11 specific, easy-to-follow actions firefighters need to take to lessen their risk of occupational cancer. In this report, the NVFC and IAFC VCOS encouraged all fire departments to make these 11 best practices part of their standard operating procedures.

Last month, NVFC and IAFC VCOS released an update to the Lavender Ribbon Report, designed to reignite passion for helping firefighters protect themselves from carcinogen exposure and reinforce the actions firefighters need to take to lessen their exposure risks.

This updated report builds on the information in the August 2018 report, and the two reports work well as companion documents. While the August 2018 report describes each of the 11 best practices in-depth, the September 2021 update provides a section summarizing each of these 11 best practices along with brief implementation guidance for each. Then, the update report provides additional information in the form of compelling personal stories from firefighters who have battled cancer; essays and research supporting the best practices; implementation ideas; and examples of how best practices have already been successfully implemented in fire departments.

To facilitate the incorporation of this vital information into fire departments’ standard operating procedures, NVFC and IAFC VCOS have developed awareness posters for each of the 11 best practices. Departments can hang these awareness posters in prominent locations in fire stations where they can serve as reminders for performing these essential protective actions.

You can download the August 2018 Lavender Ribbon Report, the Lavender Ribbon Report Update, and the awareness posters for the 11 best practices on the NVFC’s website.

(Source: NVFC)

Highlights

NVFC and IAFC release update to Lavender Ribbon Report on 11 best practices to prevent firefighter cancer

DHS S&T field tests FirstNet push-to-talk app for communications interoperability among DHS components and first responders

FEMA releases major update to Comprehensive Preparedness Guide 101, final webinar on Oct. 13

REMINDER: Deadline to request FEMA Exercise Support is Nov. 1

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.

DHS S&T field tests FirstNet push-to-talk app for communications interoperability among DHS components and first responders

As part of its mission, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) aims to ensure that first responders and DHS components can exchange information such as voice, video or data through any medium.

This spring, DHS S&T collaborated with 50 participants to field test a mission-critical push-to-talk (MCPTT) app developed by FirstNet. Participants were from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Oakland (California) Fire Department.

Currently, the three participating DHS operational components in the field test—CBP, HSI and USCG—all use different push-to-talk (PTT) solutions that are proprietary and non-interoperable. A goal of these field tests was to evaluate the usability and performance of FirstNet’s Push-to-Talk (FNPTT) app as a standardized approach for all DHS components.

The field test took place in three locations: with the CBP Office of Field Operations, HSI, USCG, and Oakland FD in San Francisco, California; with CBP in El Paso, Texas; and with HSI, USCG, and S&T in Washington, DC.

During the field test, AT&T FirstNet provided devices loaded with the app for participants. Two real-world exercise scenarios were conducted over a two-day period to test the capabilities of the FNPTT app for communication using mission-critical voice and photo and video sharing for situational awareness. Participants then held onto the FNPTT devices to test during their regular duties over the remainder of the month.

With the feedback from this field test and through collaboration with the partners, S&T aims to help DHS operational components, federal partners (e.g., Department of Justice, Department of Defense) and first responders coalesce towards standard-compliant, mission-critical solutions.

For more information on this field test, you can read DHS S&T’s news release. You can learn more about the many initiatives from DHS S&T within voice, video, and data communications research for first responders on DHS S&T’s website.

(Source: DHS S&T)

FEMA releases major update to Comprehensive Preparedness Guide 101, final webinar on Oct. 13

After incorporating input from a national engagement period with whole community partners earlier this year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released version 3 of its Comprehensive Preparedness Guide 101: Developing and Maintaining Emergency Operations Plans (CPG 101 V3) last month.

CPG 101 is a key resource for the emergency management community. It provides the foundation for state, local, tribal, territorial emergency planning in the United States.

This update is a significant advance from version 2 of CPG 101, which was last updated in 2010. Since the guide’s last revision, practitioners have identified lessons learned and successful practices from real-world events and exercises that can inform the planning process. CPG 101 V3 builds on these lessons learned. Version 3 also aligns CPG 101’s guidance with the most current policies, programs and doctrine. This version highlights the importance of inclusiveness in emergency plans and refreshes the six-step planning process to better integrate whole-community partners.

FEMA has also developed a companion resource to CPG 101 V3, Developing and Maintaining Emergency Operations Plans Comprehensive Preparedness Guide Compilation of Checklists. The goal of publishing the checklists from CPG 101 in a standalone document is to increase the utility of these resources for the planning community. This resource will help planners develop or review emergency operations plans (EOPs) that address their specific jurisdictional needs.

To assist with the rollout of CPG 101 V3, FEMA has been hosting a series of 60-minute webinars in September and October. These webinars highlight the changes in the document and help planners at all levels utilize the principles, concepts, tools and process from CPG 101. The final webinar in this series will be held on October 13, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. EST. Advance registration is required and on a first-come, first-served basis.

You can access FEMA’s CPG 101 V3 at fema.gov/plan. To learn more about the updates to CPG 101, see FEMA’s summary of changes and register for the final CPG 101 webinar on Oct. 13.

(Source: FEMA)

REMINDER: Deadline to request FEMA Exercise Support is Nov. 1

This is a reminder that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Exercise Division is still accepting fall 2021 requests for exercise support from the National Exercise Program (NEP). The NEP offers no-cost assistance to state, local, tribal and territorial jurisdictions for exercise design, development, execution and evaluation to validate capabilities across all mission areas.

Fall round submissions are due no later than Nov. 1 and decisions will be sent by Dec. 10. To request support, please download the nomination form, then email the completed form with any supporting documentation to the National Exercise Division. More information on the NEP and more detailed instructions on how to submit a request for support are available on the NEP website.

For jurisdictions not ready to submit a request at this time, the NEP will hold additional exercise support rounds in spring and fall of 2022. If you have any questions, please contact the National Exercise Division.

(Source: FEMA National Exercise Division)

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

Blockchain technology could provide secure communications for robot teams

Imagine a team of autonomous drones equipped with advanced sensing equipment, searching for smoke as they fly high above the Sierra Nevada mountains. Once they spot a wildfire, these leader robots relay directions to a swarm of firefighting drones that speed to the site of the blaze.

But what would happen if one or more leader robots was hacked by a malicious agent and began sending incorrect directions? As follower robots are led farther from the fire, how would they know they had been duped?

The use of blockchain technology as a communication tool for a team of robots could provide security and safeguard against deception, according to a study by researchers at MIT and Polytechnic University of Madrid, which was published on Oct. 5 in IEEE Transactions on Robotics. The research may also have applications in cities where multirobot systems of self-driving cars are delivering goods and moving people across town.

(Source: MIT News)

Coinbase says hackers stole cryptocurrency from at least 6,000 customers

Hackers stole from the accounts of at least 6,000 customers of Coinbase Global Inc, according to a breach notification letter sent by the cryptocurrency exchange to affected customers. The hack took place between March and May 20 of this year, according to a copy of the letter posted on the website of California's Attorney General.

(Source: Yahoo News)

DHS issues roadmap to help organizations prepare for quantum computing threat

DHS partnered with the National Institute of Standards and Technology in releasing guidance entities should implement now to protect themselves from the looming potential threat of quantum computing.

The roadmap recommends organizations conduct an inventory of their systems to determine which ones will be vulnerable in a post-quantum computing world and includes pointers for prioritizing their protection with updated acquisition and data security standards.

(Source: NextGov)

Conti gang threatens to dump victim data if ransom negotiations leak to reporters

The Conti ransomware gang published a rare public statement on Oct. 1 threatening hacked companies that they will leak their stolen files if details or screenshots of the ransom negotiations process are leaked to journalists.

These ransom negotiations usually take place after Conti (or any other ransomware gang) breaches a company and encrypts their files. A ransom note is left on affected desktops, with instructions on how the victim could contact the attackers. But in a message posted on its blog on Oct. 1, the Conti gang said that it would not tolerate incidents where screenshots of its negotiations process are leaked online anymore. As a result, the Conti gang said it is introducing new rules meant to penalize victims or security researchers who leak screenshots of its ransom negotiations chats to reporters.

(Source: The Record)

GAO flags six agencies on telework security measures

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a new report that it looked at 12 federal agencies to examine their preparedness to support expanded telework. A sampling of federal agencies’ efforts to provide remote access for telework during the COVID-19 pandemic shows that each of the agencies was able to put the right technologies in place to accomplish that goal, but that several had not fully addressed relevant guidance for securing remote access systems.

GAO noted that the increased number of remote connections necessary for telework entails additional cybersecurity risks. GAO made nine recommendations to six of the agencies that it reviewed.

(Source: MeriTalk)

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

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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.

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