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Volume 25 — Issue 9 | March 6, 2025

DHS S&T studies effects of toxic vapors on the human lung with state-of-the-art “Organ-On-A-Chip”

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is studying human exposure to chemicals that may be encountered by first responders at accidental hazardous materials releases or chemical attacks. The project is using a state-of-the-art technology that circumvents the need for human or animal testing called “organ-on-a-chip.”

The technology uses a sophisticated 3D printer and robotic technology to design a lung model that precisely mimics the microenvironment of real human lung tissue, effectively creating an “organ-on-a-chip.” The 3D printer uses primary cells from human donors. The researchers claim this lung model can predict human physiological behavior even better than an animal model.

S&T’s Chemical Security Analysis Center (CSAC) is conducting these studies in partnership with the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM). The Organ-on-a-Chip (OOAC) studies are part of a larger Chemical Threat Characterization project (CTC) at S&T, which aims to build a comprehensive database of chemicals and toxic profiles that pose a threat to the homeland. The database is there to assist authorities in preparation for or response to an accident or attack.

The studies will expose the 3D-printed lung organ tissue to toxic vapors to see how the tissue reacts.

Ammonia and chlorine were selected for the first study because they have high toxicity and are two of the most transported chemicals in the United States. Both are gases when released into the atmosphere and both disperse quickly in the environment and the human body.

Because ammonia and chlorine disperse quickly, identifying and accurately measuring human exposure to these chemicals is difficult, and is currently done primarily by observing signs and symptoms.

These studies are a vital step toward enhancing safety measures and developing life-saving treatments. Additionally, in a chemical attack scenario, being able to identify the toxic exposure agent is needed both domestically and internationally for forensics and attribution purposes.

After ammonia and chlorine, the research team is considering additional studies on other chemical toxins in the threat space, such as hydrogen sulfide and phosphine.

Learn more in DHS S&T’s Feb. 6 Feature Article.

(Source: DHS S&T)

Highlights

DHS S&T studies effects of toxic vapors on the human lung with state-of-the-art “Organ-On-A-Chip”

National Wildfire Coordinating Group’s 2025 Incident Response Pocket Guide now available

DOJ infographic helps emergency management coordinate with correctional facilities

On-demand webinar from Project ECHO: Medical response to the New Year’s Eve vehicle ramming attack in New Orleans, Louisiana

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 Wildfire Coordinating Group’s 2025 Incident Response Pocket Guide now available

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) has announced the availability of the 2025 version of the NWCG Incident Response Pocket Guide (IRPG), PMS 461.

The NWCG IRPG is an operational job aid carried by all federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial wildland firefighters in the United States, establishing standards for wildland fire incident response. The guide provides critical information on operational engagement, risk management, fire environment, all-hazard response, and aviation management. It is a collection of guidelines, checklists, and best practices that have evolved over time within wildland fire operations.

Major updates and changes in the 2025 IRPG include the addition of nighttime fuel estimates for reference fuel moisture, considerations for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) operations, an updated section on fire weather forecast information regarding the potential for lightning, and more.

See the NWCG’s announcement to access the PDF of the 2025 IRPG in English or Spanish, a full list of changes in the 2025 version, and instructions on how to order hard copies.

(Source: NWCG)

DOJ infographic helps emergency management coordinate with correctional facilities

Last month, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) released an infographic to help emergency managers coordinate with correctional facilities during an emergency or incident.

Correctional facilities may face unique challenges in an emergency. They may have crowded dormitories, limited medical and isolation resources, restricted entrances, and a continual introduction of newly incarcerated or detained persons.

Responding to a correctional facility or providing resources also requires advance planning and creative solutions because of the need to balance response actions with facility security. The infographic provides emergency managers a glimpse into the unique considerations for collaborating with corrections.

This resource was developed by the BJA’s COVID-19 Detection and Mitigation in Confinement Facilities Training and Technical Assistance Center. Access this infographic at the Center’s Resources page at BJA.OJP.gov.

(Source: BJA)

On-demand webinar from Project ECHO: Medical response to the New Year’s Eve vehicle ramming attack in New Orleans, Louisiana

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) launched its Project ECHO Clinical Readiness Rounds series in 2024.

Project ECHO is designed to create peer-to-peer learning networks where clinicians who have more experience treating patients in emergency situations share their challenges and successes with other clinicians across the United States and internationally.

In February, Project ECHO held a Clinical Readiness Round focused on the medical response to the New Year’s Eve vehicle ramming attack in New Orleans, Louisiana. The session recording and slide presentation from New Orleans EMS are now available on the iECHO platform.

The session included three briefings on how the trauma center, hospital, and emergency medical services (EMS) each responded to this mass casualty incident (MCI). Each presentation includes a summary of the lessons learned. 

The three speakers were:

• Dr. Roslyn Alexander, Trauma and Surgical Critical Care Fellow, University Medical Center, New Orleans, at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center.
• Dr. Jeff Elder, Chief Medical Officer at University Medical Center New Orleans, Associate Chief Medical Officer for Emergency Management at LCMC Health, and Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine in the LSU Health Section of Emergency Medicine.
• Bill Salmeron, Chief of EMS, New Orleans EMS.

Speakers’ presentations were followed by participant polls on EMS and hospital readiness to handle vehicle ramming attacks and other mass casualty incidents in the current threat environment. The session ends with speakers offering the most important lessons they learned and guidance for other trauma centers, hospitals, and EMS agencies on MCI planning and training.

Registration with Project ECHO is free and open to the public. Once registered for an account on the iECHO platform, members can access this session recording and recordings of many previous sessions in the series. Clinical Readiness Rounds are held on the first and third Tuesday of each month. Members will receive email notifications about upcoming rounds as topics and speakers are announced.

(Source: HHS/ASPR Project ECHO)

Cyber Incident Assistance

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

IdentityTheft.gov

IC3

Cybercrime Support Network

General Information

StopRansomware.gov

CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog

FTC scam list

CISA alerts

Law Enforcement Cyber Center

TLP Information

FBI warns of data extortion scam targeting corporate executives

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has released an alert warning of a scam involving criminal actors masquerading as the “BianLian Group.” The cyber criminals target corporate executives by sending extortion letters threatening to release victims’ sensitive information unless payment is received.

CISA encourages organizations to review the following FBI Public Service Announcement for more information:

• Mail Scam Targeting Corporate Executives Claims Ties to Ransomware

(Sources: CISA, FBI IC3)

Silk Typhoon targeting IT supply chain

Microsoft Threat Intelligence identified a shift in tactics by Silk Typhoon, a Chinese espionage group, now targeting common IT solutions like remote management tools and cloud applications to gain initial access. While they haven’t been observed directly targeting Microsoft cloud services, they do exploit unpatched applications that allow them to elevate their access in targeted organizations and conduct further malicious activities. After successfully compromising a victim, Silk Typhoon uses the stolen keys and credentials to infiltrate customer networks where they can then abuse a variety of deployed applications, including Microsoft services and others, to achieve their espionage objectives.

Read Microsoft’s March 5 blog for information on Microsoft security solutions to detect these threats and mitigation guidance.

(Source: Microsoft)

2025 CIS MS-ISAC K-12 Cybersecurity Report: Where Education Meets Community Resilience

On March 6, the Center for Internet Security (CIS) and the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) released a report, 2025 CIS MS-ISAC K-12 Cybersecurity Report: Where Education Meets Community Resilience.

This publication informs K-12 schools of the top threats facing them and how this threat landscape is changing. It also explores how K-12 organizations are responding to these challenges through collaboration, preparation, and a deep understanding that cybersecurity in education is fundamentally about protecting people, not just technology.

The report provides an analysis of more than 5,000 K-12 organizations between July 2023 and December 2024. It shows that K-12 schools are prime targets of cyberattacks. Findings showed a significant increase in threat actors’ sophistication and timing when conducting attacks against K-12 schools.

Download the full report and report brief at cisecurity.org.

(Source: CIS)

Mission mayor requests emergency declaration from Gov. Abbott due to cyber attack

The cybersecurity attack on the city of Mission, Texas, has prompted the Mayor to declare a state of local disaster.

City officials announced the original incident occurred February 28. Mission issued a memo to all employees Tuesday, telling them that part of the city’s computer network had to be shut down to protect the security and integrity of the city’s data.

According to an individual who spoke with CBS4 Investigates, earlier this week the police department had lost the ability to run license plates and driver’s licenses through state databases.

Such an attack could lead to the release of protected personal information and affect every city department.

The Mayor is also asking the Governor to issue any other relevant proclamations until the threat is contained. A disaster declaration activates all applicable emergency management plans, authorizing all aid and assistance that might be necessary to deal with the disaster. It also activates the preparedness response plans that are associated with an emergency declaration.

(Source: CBS 4 / NBC 23 - Harlingen-Weslaco-McAllen Dallas Metro Area)

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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