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Volume 24 — Issue 13 | March 28, 2024 |
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Each year, the National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) updates its Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher (WFSTAR) with a lesson reviewing the previous fire year and an updated package of modules.
The 2023 Year in Review and 2024 Core Component Module Packages for WFSTAR are now available on the NWCG website.
WFSTAR training is focused on operations and decision-making issues related to fireline safety so that line-going personnel can recognize and mitigate risk, maintain safe and effective practices, and reduce accidents and near misses.
All designated NWCG positions with fireline duties and any position assigned to the fireline for non-suppression tasks must complete WFSTAR training annually to maintain currency. A complete list of positions for which this training is required is provided on the NWCG’s WFSTAR website.
The WFSTAR modules must be delivered as instructor-led training. Some modules must be delivered in person, but others can be delivered in a virtual instructor-led format. Local agency units are responsible for scheduling WFSTAR training. Check the Wildland Fire Learning Portal (WFLP) and contact the local Training Officer in your area.
The WFSTAR modules provide a range of training options to meet NWCG position training requirements and agency-specific course-hours requirements. All available modules within WFSTAR are listed in the WFSTAR catalog, indicating the year they were added to WFSTAR and which categories and core components each module supports. All modules include lesson plans, instructional videos, and supporting resources.
All modules are listed in the NWCG training catalog under course code RT-130. Note that in 2024, the NWCG’s catalog will move to the Wildland Fire Learning Portal, which can be accessed by registering for a free account.
WFSTAR is a year-round program. Training materials are developed throughout the year and posted in NWCG’s training catalog when completed, so check back for additional resources that may be posted later in 2024.
(Source: NWCG)
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Over the past decade, first responders have begun integrating small unmanned aerial systems (UAS), or drones, as a resource for a variety of operational needs.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Science and Technology Directorate’s (S&T’s) National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL) recently released two guidance documents to aid public safety agencies with procurement decisions related to commercially available UAS. These two documents were developed as part of NUSTL’s Systems Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER) Program.
Using unmanned systems for remote detection of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosive (CBRNE) agents limits first responder’s exposure and provides a way to access hard-to-reach and unsafe areas. The first document, CBRNE Sensor Payloads on Unmanned Aerial Systems outlines considerations for integration of CBRNE sensors into a UAS payload and the selection of the most appropriate sensor for the emergency response mission. It also outlines special considerations for the cybersecurity of CBRNE sensor payloads on UAS.
Small UAS can provide first responders with an aerial view of their environment and can be outfitted with various sensors tailored to address different applications. The second document, Blue UAS for First Responders, is a report on a series of November 2023 focus groups conducted by NUSTL with representatives from the fire service and law enforcement communities. The Department of Defense (DOD) started a project called Blue UAS in 2020, which rapidly vets and scales commercial UAS technology for the DOD. The DOD continues to maintain a Blue UAS Cleared List of approved drones that are validated as cyber-secure and safe to fly for DOD missions. In the future, NUSTL will conduct operational assessments of “Blue UAS” for public safety missions. NUSTL’s focus groups identified 18 assessment criteria by which Blue UAS should be assessed operationally. They also recommended several systems and scenarios for NUSTL to consider for inclusion in future operational assessments of commercial UAS for first responders. These included a search and rescue operation, a post-incident damage assessment, a situational awareness exercise, and nighttime operations.
Access the CBRNE Sensor Payloads on Unmanned Aerial Systems TechNote, the Blue UAS for First Responders focus group report, and all related project documents within NUSTL’s SAVER document library.
(Source: DHS S&T)
The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline launched in the summer of 2022, establishing an easy-to-remember number for people experiencing a mental health emergency. Although use of 988 has risen sharply since its debut, 911 remains the default number that people call in most emergencies. This means that close coordination between 911 and 988 is key.
The RAND Corporation released a report this month, The Road to 988/911 Interoperability: Three Case Studies on Call Transfer, Colocation, and Community Response. The report examines three case studies on efforts in the City of Sioux Falls and Minnehaha County in South Dakota, Orange County in New York, and Fairfax County in Virginia, all of which have worked to establish different models of 988/911 interoperability. This report should be of interest to jurisdictions that are looking to implement 988/911 interoperability, including those that are spearheading local initiatives and those that are responding to state-level legislation. Its findings are relevant to 988 call centers, public safety answering points, mobile crisis units, law enforcement, and local and state decisionmakers.
Additionally, the National Association of Counties (NACo) collaborated with the RAND Corporation and The Pew Charitable Trusts on a project highlighting models of 911/988 collaboration using innovative crisis response systems. The project, Shaping Crisis Response Spotlight Series, featured five counties in five different states who have implemented innovative crisis response systems involving 911/988 integration: Douglas County, Kansas; Durham County, North Carolina; Los Angeles (LA) County, California; Travis County, Texas; and Pima County, Arizona.
NACo will host a webinar on Thursday, April 11, from 2-3 p.m. EST, Advancing Crisis Communications: Highlighting Models of 911/988 Collaboration. This event is a follow-up to NACo’s Shaping Crisis Response Spotlight Series briefs. This webinar will highlight models of 988/911 collaboration, including recommendations for planning and implementation. Panelists will discuss progress, challenges and lessons learned from advancing their communities’ crisis response systems.
Access The Road to 988/911 Interoperability and related documents on RAND’s website. Learn more and register for the April 11 webinar on NACo’s website.
(Sources: RAND, NACo)
Battery fires have become one of the most challenging and perplexing incidents for the fire service in recent years. With the continued growth in the use and sale of battery-powered devices, the corresponding increase in battery fires warrants a critical conversation about how the fire service can mitigate and respond to battery fire incidents.
The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) will host a webinar on Wednesday, April 10, from 1-3 p.m., Battery Fires: Before, During, and After the Incident. The webinar is an opportunity to hear from subject matter experts from the USFA; the Fire Safety Research Institute; San Diego Fire-Rescue Department; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and the Environmental Protection Agency. The speakers will present the key concepts to consider when developing community risk reduction and response plans related to lithium-ion battery fires.
Learn more and register for this webinar on USFA’s website.
(Source: USFA)
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CISA marks important milestone in addressing cyber incidents; Seeks input on CIRCIA Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
On March 27, the Federal Register posted for public inspection the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which CISA was required to develop by the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2022 (CIRCIA). This marks a major step in bolstering America’s cybersecurity.
Implementation of CIRCIA will improve CISA’s ability to use cybersecurity incident and ransomware payment information reported to the agency to identify patterns in real-time, fill critical information gaps, rapidly deploy resources to help entities that are suffering from cyber attacks, and inform others who would be potentially affected. When information about cyber incidents is shared quickly, CISA can use this information to render assistance and provide warning to prevent other organizations from falling victim to a similar incident. This information is also critical to identifying trends that can help efforts to protect the homeland. The NPRM will soon formally publish in the Federal Register, following which the public will have 60 days to submit written comments to inform the direction and substance of the Final Rule.
The comments CISA received through the Request for Information (RFI) and listening sessions over the past year helped shape this NPRM. In turn, robust input on the NPRM will support our ability to implement CIRCIA to drive national cyber risk reduction.
(Source: CISA)
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CISA, FBI, and MS-ISAC release update to joint guidance on distributed denial-of-service techniques
On March 21, CISA, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) released an updated joint guide, Understanding and Responding to Distributed Denial-Of-Service Attacks, to address the specific needs and challenges faced by organizations in defending against DDoS attacks. The guidance now includes detailed insight into three different types of DDoS techniques.
CISA, FBI, and MS-ISAC urge network defenders and leaders of critical infrastructure organizations to read the guidance provided to defend against this threat.
(Source: CISA)
Seven hackers associated with Chinese government charged with computer intrusions targeting perceived critics of China and U.S. businesses and politicians
An indictment was unsealed by the Justice Department (DOJ) on Monday, March 25, charging seven nationals of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) with conspiracy to commit computer intrusions and conspiracy to commit wire fraud for their involvement in a PRC-based hacking group that spent approximately 14 years targeting U.S. and foreign critics, businesses, and political officials in furtherance of the PRC’s economic espionage and foreign intelligence objectives.
The defendants, along with dozens of identified PRC Ministry of State Security (MSS) intelligence officers, contractor hackers, and support personnel, were members of a hacking group operating in the PRC and known within the cybersecurity community as Advanced Persistent Threat 31 (the APT31 Group). The APT31 Group was part of a cyberespionage program run by the MSS’s Hubei State Security Department, located in the city of Wuhan. Through their involvement with the APT31 Group, since at least 2010, the defendants conducted global campaigns of computer hacking targeting political dissidents and perceived supporters located inside and outside of China, government and political officials, candidates, and campaign personnel in the United States and elsewhere and American companies.
The more than 10,000 malicious emails that the defendants and others in the APT31 Group sent to these targets often appeared to be from prominent news outlets or journalists and appeared to contain legitimate news articles. The malicious emails contained hidden tracking links, such that if the recipient simply opened the email, information about the recipient, including the recipient’s location, internet protocol (IP) addresses, network schematics, and specific devices used to access the pertinent email accounts, was transmitted to a server controlled by the defendants and those working with them. The defendants and others in the APT31 Group then used this information to enable more direct and sophisticated targeted hacking, such as compromising the recipients’ home routers and other electronic devices.
(Source: DOJ)
New York: New cybersecurity response studio wins $1.25m in federal funding
A new Cybersecurity Incident Response Studio (CREST) at the University of Albany will bring cyber and crisis management researchers from across campus together to support training and simulation exercises for public, private and non-profit sector partners.
Once launched, CREST will support the security of local governments, non-profits and small businesses across New York by offering high-tech simulations of cyberattacks, giving decision-makers across the state opportunities to practice responding to the consequences of attacks and improve cyber-incident response skills in a safe environment.
Researchers plan to work closely with state government including the NY Joint Security Operations Center and recruit UAlbany undergraduate and graduate student assistants to support the effort.
(Source: Homeland Security News Wire)
San Diego hospitals affected by computer outage that diverted ambulance deliveries
Several San Diego-area hospitals were caught up in a computer outage in the early evening on Wednesday, March 20, that forced some facilities to briefly divert ambulance deliveries.
Unlike the recent computer problems at Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside and the monthlong operations problems at Scripps Health in 2021, the cause of the latest problem, officials said, had nothing to do with hackers attempting to hold information hostage for ransom.
An Epic spokesperson who declined to be identified by name confirmed in an email Wednesday night that a data center the medical records company uses in San Jose experienced a “power issue” that temporarily impacted nine of its customers.
(Source: JEMS)
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