In this Issue:

How HSIN Supports the Life Cycle of Hurricane Preparedness, Response and Recovery

HSIN Across the Country

Montgomery City/County EMA Relies on HSIN for COVID-19 Operations

Training Tip: HSIN Connect is a Key Resource for Planning and Preparedness

Tools You Can Use for Hurricane Season

HSIN Provides Key COVID-19 Support for Delaware Information Analysis Center

HSIN Supports CCTA Exercise to Assess Planning and Preparedness

JUNE 2020

Partners use HSIN to plan, prepare for, and accelerate operations when responding to natural disasters such as hurricanes and pandemics, as well as incidents such as terrorist attacks. Experience using HSIN during emergency management scenarios such as the current COVID-19 operations is helping increase preparedness locally as well as nationally, which strengthens homeland security. With HSIN, all planning resources are in one place and personnel know where to access the information when an event, exercise or incident occurs. For any type of public safety mission, HSIN allows multiagency and private-sector partners to seamlessly collaborate and apply available resources in the most efficient manner possible.

How HSIN Supports the Life Cycle of Hurricane Preparedness, Response and RecoveryHSIN Users Say COVID-19 Experience is a Valuable Asset Going into Storm Season

The 2020 hurricane season is upon us, and with it, the inevitable uncertainty and confusion that can erupt following the onset of any one of these major natural events. Although natural disasters are generally low-probability incidents, the chances are high that many communities across the globe can or will be impacted. Severe weather emergencies can strike suddenly and with devastating effect. Ensuring the ability to withstand and rapidly recover from disruption due to emergencies is a shared DHS mission that all homeland security partners work together to achieve.

Since 2005, when HSIN played a key role in supporting public safety operations related to Hurricane Katrina, HSIN has proven to be a critical resource for preparing for, responding to, and recovering from potentially deadly and costly weather events. With the Atlantic hurricane season beginning on June 1, many public safety partners have already begun implementing plans for hurricane preparedness, especially in light of ongoing operations related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, HSIN users said in recent comments that they are better prepared for the hurricane season due to their expanded experience using HSIN during the COVID-19 response.

PreparingTo help government agencies and partner organizations best prepare themselves, HSIN is being used to share

lessons learned and develop strategies that address evacuation routes, shelter locations and other public safety activities. With HSIN, users have the resources they need to help plan emergency exercises, practice management and collaboration capabilities, and effectively coordinate training and response. Forging relationships with partner agencies and officials is a key part of the equation, and HSIN Mission Advocates play an integral role in bringing all the components together.

RespondingWhen responding to hurricane emergencies, HSIN provides a trusted network and environment needed to communicate and collaborate in real-time with partners at all levels of government and in the private sector. During past hurricanes, when phone lines and cell towers suffered damage and communications systems were inoperable or overwhelmed, response teams were able to use HSIN’s

Planning and Preparedness

Delivering Mission Success

ADVOCATEThe HSIN

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communications features to coordinate operations. HSIN also provides up-to-date data and mapping information from the Geospatial Management Office (GMO) that enables first responders and other public safety officials to act rapidly and save lives.

RecoveringAnd when the immediate danger is over and the storm clouds recede, HSIN can be used as a central location to share information concerning the impact of the disaster and the recovery activities offered by individual agencies. For example, the GMO Geospatial Information Infrastructure (GII) Portal available on HSIN can be used to map final water-level measurements to compare to historic records, help identify evolving patterns, and determine those areas where rebuilding makes the most sense. After the emergency has passed, HSIN can also be used to collaborate on after-action reports and update future mitigation efforts.

Situational awareness before, during and after hurricanes is vital to protecting lives, preventing injuries, and avoiding catastrophic losses to property. All of these capabilities help to illustrate how HSIN addresses the full life cycle of hurricane preparation, response and recovery.

Partners Say COVID-19 Experience Improves Emergency Management Posture for Hurricane SeasonCurrently, there are 226 organizations— 134 state and local, 66 DHS, 20 other federal government, one tribal, three private sector and two non-profit groups—using HSIN tools to coordinate operations related to the COVID-19 pandemic. And while not a single one of them would wish to be in this situation, a silver lining they can take from all of this is that they are now better prepared for any future emergency.

Thanks to these agencies’ new experiences with HSIN, they can now adapt existing tools and deploy scalable, reusable solutions to support other operations. The same HSIN tools being used to reliably and securely share information and track active COVID-19 incidents can be implemented for any type of incident. HSIN tools will continue to be valuable assets used by fusion centers and other public safety organizations to access up-to-the-minute situational awareness to assist partners with public safety planning, preparedness and response. To learn how HSIN can support your operations, contact HSIN@hq.dhs.gov.

Expanding the Operational Impact of HSINFor Organizations: Setting Best Practices for Hurricane Preparedness and ResponseHSIN allows public safety partners to quickly capture and share information that saves lives, protects critical infrastructure, and allows partners to allocate available resources in the most effective manner. In circumstances when emergency calls to 911 dispatch centers overwhelm telephone infrastructure or call center availability, HSIN has been used to log vital information about people needing assistance, their location, their urgent medical needs and the severity of the situation, all of which resulted in a more coordinated and efficient response.

For Community Managers: HSIN and GMO Support Hurricane Dorian Preparedness and Response OperationsHSIN and Geospatial Management Office (GMO) resources support the full range of information sharing activities such as using common operating pictures for tracking, preparation, response and recovery efforts. During severe weather, for example, HSIN helps ensure continuity of operations by providing access to vital information for partner agencies even when other forms of communication fail. In a typical scenario, local officials use HSIN to quickly coordinate efforts in their communities while maintaining broader situational awareness across a larger region.

HSIN in ActionTo learn more about the innovative ways HSIN supports planning and preparedness, check out these additional resources:

n Using HSIN to Support Preparedness

n Florida National Guard Deploys HSIN for Hurricane Response and Daily Ops

n ChicagoFIRST is a Private Sector Leader in Preparedness and Response

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Montgomery City/County EMA Relies on HSIN for COVID-19 OperationsThe Montgomery City/County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) in Alabama has been using HSIN for a virtual Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in support of its COVID-19 operations. Long-term HSIN use for other operations such as severe weather response has enabled the EMA to apply their HSIN expertise to the COVID-19 response.

“The Montgomery EMA COVID-19 Virtual EOC on HSIN provides a common operating picture for hospitals, community partners, elected officials, department heads of local and county government agencies, and non-governmental organizations such as volunteer programs,” said Christina Thornton, Montgomery City/County EMA Director. “The HSIN program has been utterly priceless.”

HSIN allows EMA personnel to comply with social distancing directives while providing public safety services to the Montgomery area and beyond. Members of the HSIN community can log into the Virtual EOC for updates and plan their operations accordingly.

“With HSIN, our hospitals can log in and update COVID-19 data related to testing, confirmed cases, and negative COVID-19 results,” explained Thornton. “The daily documentation of who is requesting resources, which are date-and-time stamped, helps EMA manage and coordinate COVID-19 efforts.” To learn how HSIN can support operations in your area, contact HSIN@hq.dhs.gov.

HSIN Across the CountryAC

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HSIN supports interagency collaboration among public safety and private sector partners as they perform daily operations, respond to incidents, and help ensure safety and security at planned events. Below are just a few of the recent operations supported by HSIN.

Mississippi Severe Storms (April 24)

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) used HSIN’s real-time information sharing solutions to track response and recovery efforts related to severe storms that affected the state.

California COVID-19 Support

The California Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center (OCIAC) used HSIN to support multiple COVID-19-related operations such as coordinating aid and assisting with the deployment of resources.

Chicago COVID-19 Support

ChicagoFIRST, a nonprofit association that provides a collaborative forum to address private sector resilience and emergency management, is using HSIN to support situational awareness across state, local and private sector partners.

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Training Tip: HSIN Connect is a Key Resource for Planning and PreparednessTo facilitate planning and preparedness, predefined HSIN Connect layouts allow agencies to quickly collaborate and coordinate responses across jurisdictional boundaries. HSIN Connect is also a valuable tool in daily operations and is used to support interagency collaboration during planning and training sessions. Many public safety partners use HSIN Connect to share live video streams from stationary cameras as well as from mobile phones.

If you aren’t fully familiar with all of the capabilities available with HSIN Connect—such as how to share files or how to set up and organize a virtual meeting room—you can download two Quick Reference Guides (QRGs) from HSIN Learn to learn how to maximize information sharing capabilities: HSIN Connect for Hosts and Presenters and HSIN Connect for Participants.

HSIN Community Corner

Tools You Can Use for Hurricane SeasonTo help your organization be better prepared for hurricanes and other natural disasters, HSIN has dramatically streamlined emergency response operations with the creation of the Hurricane Response Room Template (HRRT) for HSIN Connect. The HRRT allows quick setup of three standard layouts that have a proven track record in supporting operations during hurricanes and all types of severe weather:

n SitRoom (Situational Awareness Room) Layout

n Briefing Room Layout

n National Weather Feed Layout

When the HSIN Connect meeting host chooses one of the three layouts, the new display appears on all attendees’ screens. Additionally, the host can use a “Prepare Mode” (under the Meeting menu) to edit layouts without immediately changing the attendee view.

With the HRRT, partners can quickly and more effectively share information during operations. To learn how to implement the Hurricane Response Room Template, download the HRRT Quick Reference Guide on HSIN Learn.

Other preparations the HSIN team recommends for hurricane season include:

n Using dedicated event pages on HSIN for predefined operations, such as a page titled “Hurricane Preparedness and Response.” Educating your users by using these pages for drills and training exercises will ensure familiarity with available tools.

n Preparing emergency notification messages with instructions about where to go on HSIN in the event of a hurricane; ensure your distribution lists are up to date.

n Posting critical documents such as personnel recall rosters, checklists,

status summaries and partner information on your HSIN community site to ensure personnel can quickly access the information anytime it is needed.

n Setting up a HSIN Connect room to support real-time communications during response activities and making sure all of your partner organizations know how to access it.

n Working with your HSIN Mission Advocate to use other tools, such as geospatial mapping, that can support hurricane preparedness and emergency management efforts.

And finally, become familiar with other useful hurricane preparedness resources such as:

n National Hurricane Center (NHC)

n DHS/FEMA (Ready.gov) - Hurricanes

n Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Hurricanes and Other Tropical Storms

For more information on how HSIN can help your planning and response efforts for hurricanes and all types of severe weather, contact HSIN@hq.dhs.gov.

QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE

Homeland Security Information Network

Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN)

www.dhs.gov/hsin

Exploring the Layouts in the Hurricane Response Room Template

Layout Options: Three layout options are available for customizing the Connect room: SITROOM, Briefing, and National

Weather Feed. When a host chooses an option, the new layout appears on all attendees’ screens. A host can use the

Prepare Mode under the Meeting menu to edit layouts without immediately changing the attendee view—this is done by

clicking the gear icon in the right hand corner. Enter the meeting room. The pods have been defaulted to the SITROOM layout of the HSIN Hurricane Response

Room Template.SITROOM (Default) Layout:

a. Attendee List – List of attendees in the meeting;

roles defined: Host, Presenters, Participants; name

of attendee can be selected to start a private chatb. �Press�Releases�(file�share) – Collection of uploaded

files related to press coverage on the hurricane,

accessible to meeting participantsi. Hosts and Presenters can upload documents

ii. Participants can download files onlyc. Points of Contact (note pad) – Free writing space

to enter POC informationi. Hosts and Presenters can write notesii. Participants can read notes onlyd. Local Weather Feed (screen share) – Displays a

shared screeni. Hosts and Presenters can share a document

or screen

e. Camera Feeds (screen share) – Displays a shared screeni. Hosts and Presenters can share a document

or screenf. Shared Webcam Feed (webcam feed) – Displays a

live webcam feedi. Hosts and Presenters can share a live feed

of themselvesg. Volunteer Vessel Disposition (chat) – Allows

for live messages between participants regarding

volunteer coordination responseh. Chat (chat) – General message exchange area

between participantsi. Schedule Events & Meetings (note pad) – Free

writing space to enter upcoming event information i. Hosts and Presenters can write notesii. Participants can read notes only

QUICK REFERENCE GUIDE

Homeland Security

Information Network

Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN)

www.dhs.gov/hsin

How to Create a HSIN Connect Hurricane

Response Room Template (HRRT)

This quick reference guide (QRG) demonstrates how to create a HSIN Connect Room in response

to hurricane preparedness, response, and recovery. This template was developed for emergency

responders for quick deployment allowing for collaboration and information sharing. This guide

provides different layout options derived and most commonly used by operators during previous

Hurricane and disaster support. The HRRT provides rapid support on how to create a meeting,

implement the customized pods and layouts, and more effectively share information in preparation

for and during a crisis.

For technical support, contact the HSIN Help Desk at (866) 430-0162 or via email at

HSIN.HelpDesk@hq.dhs.gov.

Please use the HSIN Training tab located on HSIN Central to access HSIN Connect training videos and

related QRGs for further information on how to create and manage a HSIN Connect room.

You may also email HSIN Outreach at HSIN@hq.dhs.gov for further assistance.

How to Create a New Meeting Using the Template

1. Navigate to https://share.dhs.gov/.

Note: HSIN Connect is optimized in Edge, Firefox, or

Chrome. Internet Explorer’s display might differ from

some of the screenshots in this QRG.

2. Log in with your HSIN Username and

Password. Your Meetings List will appear.

3. Click Create, then Meeting.

a. Complete all relevant

information.

b. In the Select Template field: Select HSIN

Hurricane Response Template from

the dropdown.

4. Select Finish.

5. Your meeting information will appear,

including a URL link for access. Click the URL

to open the meeting room.

QR

G

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ABOUT HSIN | HSIN is DHS’ designated system for trusted sharing of Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU) information among federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, international and private sector partners. Mission operators use HSIN to access homeland security data, send requests securely between agencies, manage operations, coordinate planned event safety and security, respond to incidents, and share the information they need to fulfill their missions and help keep their communities safe. HSIN users are making key contributions to homeland security in areas such as preventing terrorism, bolstering cybersecurity, securing the borders, intercepting illegal drugs, keeping schools safe and combating criminal gangs.

For more information, contact the HSIN Outreach Team at HSIN@hq.dhs.gov or visit our website at www.dhs.gov/hsin.

HSIN Supports CCTA Exercise to Assess Planning and PreparednessEarlier this year, HSIN supported approximately 50 organizations in a multi-day intelligence and information sharing exercise held to test planning and preparedness. The exercise was part of the Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attack (CCTA) Grant Program operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The St. Louis Area Regional Response System (STARRS), which coordinated the operations, used HSIN to simulate and evaluate partners’ response to a CCTA.

The exercises are conducted to identify capability gaps, develop and update plans, and conduct training to implement plans and procedures. More than 115 participants were engaged, including state and local law enforcement, emergency medical services, hospitals, public health organizations, fire protection services, emergency management and private sector organizations. Federal agencies that participated included the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Coast Guard and Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

FEMA identifies 32 core capabilities that support national preparedness, and CCTA exercises allow partners to identify which of those capabilities need strengthening. HSIN plays an integral role in helping public safety officials address gaps in many core capabilities including Planning, Operational Coordination, Intelligence and Information Sharing, Community Resilience, Infrastructure Systems, Operational Communications and Situational Assessment. For the STARRS-led exercise, the team used a simulated HSIN Situational Awareness Room (SitRoom) where partners could monitor events and threats as they transpired.

CCTA exercises integrate a “whole community” approach to national preparedness, which

involves coordinating with organizations that include businesses, faith-based and non-profit community groups, media outlets, and schools and academia. The four-day exercise was structured to evaluate all 32 core capabilities and report any gaps that needed improvement:

n Steady State (Day 1)—Discussions with “whole community” partners.

n Crisis State (Day 2)—Functional exercise using existing information and intelligence workflows.

n Sustained Crisis State (Day 3)—Functional exercise during extended periods and manhunt operations.

n Return to Steady State (Day 4)—Demobilization and discussions evaluating lessons learned.

HSIN helps communities across the country build their capabilities at the state and local levels, which supports national preparedness by enhancing five key mission areas: prevention, protection, mitigation, response and recovery. To learn how HSIN can support your mission, contact HSIN@hq.dhs.gov.

HSIN Provides Key COVID-19 Support for Delaware Information Analysis CenterHSIN has been providing key support to Delaware emergency services and other public safety partners during the COVID-19 response. The Delaware Information Analysis Center (DIAC) created multiple HSIN Connect rooms to support real-time information sharing and situational awareness. One of the Connect rooms serves as the primary collaboration point for DIAC fusion center analysts performing remote work assignments during the state’s stay-at-home order.

“The integration of state law enforcement and the emergency services sector in Delaware has been greatly enhanced by the use of HSIN to keep us better connected and communicating information in real-time,” said Luis Rovira, DHS Field Intelligence Officer, Delaware. “These activities will serve to better integrate these offices and agencies both during this crisis and beyond.”

Support provided by HSIN Mission Advocates during the COVID-19 response has been invaluable in Delaware and across the nation. HSIN users have written numerous accolades about the “incredible responsiveness” of their HSIN Mission Advocates, and have expressed gratitude for the advice, training, knowledge and guidance that HSIN Mission Advocates have offered throughout COVID-19 operations. To request HSIN support for your mission, contact HSIN@hq.dhs.gov.