An Introduction to Emergency Management Intelligence

Emergency Managers can apply Intelligence to their programs, across all five of the mission areas of the National Preparedness Goal (Prevention, Protection, Response, Recovery, and Mitigation). While DHS/FEMA guidance is currently designed for the possible inclusion of Intelligence/Investigation core capabilities in the first two missions (Prevention and Protection), these two aspects are predominantly law-enforcement centric and deal mostly with the threat of terrorism. Emergency Management holistically utilizes many more elements of Intelligence in both their steady-state and disaster-state work. This includes (but is in no way limited to) weather intelligence, geospatial intelligence, critical infrastructure intelligence, healthcare intelligence, communications and data systems intelligence; and of course, first-responder and homeland security intelligence. There is so much more needed for whole community/whole-of-government, all-hazards, and full disaster phase cycle Emergency Management than just information or situational awareness. Sector-specific groups have distinct and unique needs for intelligence, and Emergency Management is in the perfect position to be the nexus point. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has recognized this by including Emergency Management professionals into the Homeland Security Information Network, as well as through the U.S. Fire Administration’s Emergency Management and Response – Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EMR-ISAC). By better understanding what is happening and what is likely to happen, both community-based and other organizational Emergency Managers can make better decisions about how to allocate resources and how to protect people. The National Incident Management System (NIMS) in the United States is a set of guidance and best practices, but it is – and should be – constantly evolving and improving. The inclusion now, of communications systems – due in large part to the adverse impacts from cyberthreats – into NIMS typology, is one example of the flexibility of that system. Other nations, such as New Zealand, incorporate Intelligence now more directly on an all-hazards, all-threats basis. Emergency Management Intelligence (EMINT) is the curation – collection, analysis, and distribution – of actionable intelligence, which is needed before, during, and after incidents of scale, emergencies, and disasters. These can be any type: natural/human made, product/process, and/or fictitious disasters. And cascading or complex incidents have additional needs for EMINT themselves. Multi-Agency Coordination (MAC) groups, Policy Councils, command and general staff and others, all benefit from a coordinated, concise, and consolidated circular intelligence flow. EMINT is full-cycle – needed and utilized before, during, and after - and supports all of the sections/branches of any Incident Command System (ICS). Concerns about any sensitive, law-enforcement work product, or even classified intelligence distribution can be resolved through the proper structuring, credentialling, and organizing of staff in an Intelligence Branch and beyond. For example, U.S. Coast Guard-led civilian support operations are generally structured to support a deep and wide curation of EMINT, since staff have been pre-vetted and cleared to curate various levels of intelligence. Emergency Managers should build new or refine their existing programs to deliberatively plan for Intelligence, in the same manner as they do for Planning, Logistics, Finance/Administration, and Operations.