Instances of emergency vehicles reported stolen or missing by fire departments and other first responder agencies across the nation continue to roll in with disconcerting frequency.

Although it's not considered an epidemic, it's a problem that first responder agencies need to pay attention to, according to the U.S. Fire Administration Emergency Management and Response-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (formerly the Critical Infrastructure Protection Information Center) of the Department of Homeland Security.

Counterterrorism and security experts fear that terrorists may use stolen or copycat emergency vehicles to deceive force protection measures and transport explosive devices to their targets, said an item in center's Jan. 29 InfoGram.

"Counterterrorism experts believe that it is no longer sufficient to simply lock the parking lots, stations, and garages where emergency vehicles are parked, stored and repaired," said the InfoGram. "They maintain that it is now necessary to be actively observant for emergency vehicles that may have been stolen, rented or purchased by our adversaries intent on deception to exploit vulnerabilities, destroy critical infrastructures and seriously harm large numbers of people."

 To prevent the unauthorized or illegal use of actual emergency vehicles, the EMR-ISAC encourages chief officers to review, improve and enforce their department SOPs pertaining to the employment and security of department vehicles. Accepting that there must be reasonable exceptions, such as at the immediate scene of an incident, department leaders should expect that all agency vehicles will be locked properly wherever and whenever unattended."

EMS personnel, for example, should be advised to lock their ambulances while they fill out patient paperwork in hospital emergency departments.


For more information, contact EMR-ISAC at 301-447-1325 or by e-mail at emr-isac@dhs.gov.