Glossary of Terms

Acronyms and Glossary of Terms

This section presents a glossary of common homeland security terms and acronyms.

Acronyms

Glossary

Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES)—A public service organization of licensed amateur radio operators who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment to provide emergency communications for public service events as needed.

Capital Wireless Integrated Network (CapWIN)—A project managed by the University of Maryland, Engineering Center for Advanced Transportation Technology, demonstrating interoperability related to data sharing among public safety agencies in Maryland, Washington D.C., and Virginia.

Consequence Management—Measures taken to protect public health and safety, restore essential government services, and provide emergency relief to governments, businesses, and individuals affected by the consequences of terrorism. State and local governments exercise primary authority to respond to the consequences of terrorism. (Source: Federal Response Plan Terrorism Incident Annex, page TI-2, April 1999.)

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been designated the lead federal agency (LFA) for consequence management to ensure that the Federal Response Plan is adequate to respond to terrorism. Additionally, FEMA supports the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in crisis management.

Contingency Plan—Targets a specific issue or event that arises during the course of disaster operations and presents alternative actions to respond to the situation.

Council of Governments (COG)—The Metropolitan Washington COG is a regional organization of 19 metropolitan Washington area local government’s surrounding the nations capital, plus area members of the Maryland and Virginia legislatures, the U.S. Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives

Crisis Management—Predominantly a law enforcement function that includes measures to identify, acquire, and plan the resources needed to anticipate, prevent, and/or resolve a threat of terrorism. The FBI is the LFA for crisis management for such an incident. (Source: FBI.)

During crisis management, the FBI coordinates closely with local law enforcement authorities to provide successful law enforcement resolution to the incident. The FBI also coordinates with other federal authorities, including FEMA. (Source: FRP Terrorism Incident Annex, April 1999)

CONPLAN—U.S. Government Interagency Domestic Terrrorism Concept of Operations Plan. The CONPLAN was designed to provide overall guidance to federal, state, and local agencies concerning how the federal government would respond to a potential or actual terrorist threat or incident, particularlly one involving weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

Six federal agencies are signatories to the plan: Department of Justice, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy, Department of Defense, and the Department of Health and Human Services. The CONPLAN was created to implement Presidential Decision Directive 39 (1995), which sets forth U.S. policy on counter-terrorism.

Emergency—As defined in the Stafford Act, an emergency is any occasion or instance for which, in the determination of the President, federal assistance is needed to supplement state and local efforts and capabilities to save lives and to protect property, public health, and safety, and includes emergencies other than natural disasters.

Emergency Alert System (EAS)—A system established by the FCC in November of 1994 to replace the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS) as a tool the President and others might use to warn the public about emergency situations.

Emergency Broadcast System (EBS)—A system replaced by the EAS that was composed of AM, FM, and TV broadcast stations; low-power TV stations; and non-government industry entities operating on a voluntary, organized basis during emergencies at national, state, or operational (local) area levels.

Emergency Operations Center (EOC)—A secure location to determine situational status, coordinate actions, and make critical decisions during emergency and disaster situations.

Federal Response Plan (FRP)—The FRP establishes a process and structure for the systematic, coordinated, and effective delivery of federal assistance to address the consequences of any major disaster or emergency declared under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as amended (42 U.S. Code [USC], et seq.). The FRP Terrorism Incident Annex defines the organizational structures used to coordinate crisis management with consequence management. (Source: FRP Terrorism Incident Annex, April 1999.)

Incident Command System (ICS)—A model for disaster response that calls for the use of common terminology, modular organization, integrated communications, unified command structure, action planning, manageable span-of-control, pre-designated facilities, and comprehensive resource management.

Homeland Security—A concerted national effort to prevent terrorist attacks within the
United States, to reduce America's vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage and recovery from attacks that do occur. (National Strategy for Homeland Security, 2002.)

Major Disaster—As defined under the Stafford Act, any natural catastrophe (including any hurricane, tornado, storm, high water, wind-driven water, tidal wave, tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, mudslide, snowstorm, or drought), or, regardless of cause, any fire, flood, or explosion, in any part of the United States, which in the determination of the President causes damage of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant major disaster assistance under this Act to supplement the efforts and available resources of states, local governments, and disaster relief organizations in alleviating the damage, loss, hardship, or suffering caused thereby.

Mitigation—Those actions (including threat and vulnerability assessments) taken to reduce the exposure to and detrimental effects of a weapons of mass destruction (WMD) incident.

Preparedness—Establishing the plans, training, exercises, and resources necessary to achieve readiness for all hazards, including WMD incidents.

Public Safety Wireless Network (PSWN)—Joint Department of Justice and Department of Treasury program that promotes federal and local government communications interoperability and sponsors innovative pilot projects.

Shelter in Place—To stay where one is in the event of an emergency. Requires that people stay inside a building away from windows. All windows and air intake systems should be closed. Wet towels or tape may be used to seal cracks. If there is a danger of explosion windows should be covered.

Satellite-Based Technology—Communication systems that are not prone to the same outages as terrestrially based systems.

Terrorism—The unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives. Domestic terrorism involves groups or individuals who are based and operate entirely within the United States and U.S. territories without foreign direction and whose acts are directed at elements of the U.S. government or population.

Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)—Any explosive, incendiary, or poison gas; bomb, grenade, rocket having a propellant charge of more than 4 ounces; missile having an explosive incendiary charge of more than 0.25 ounce; mine or device similar to the above; weapon involving a disease organism; or weapon that is designed to release radiation or radioactivity at a level dangerous to human life. (Source: 18 USC 2332a as referenced in 18 USC 921.)