The collection and dissemination of information at the community level is critical to the overall homeland security mission. That's where it all starts for every city and town in the United States.

Unfortunately, it's still common to find that fire and police personnel don't know what the other discipline is doing, even in the smallest communities, and police and fire departments tend to take for granted that the other discipline is aware of threat-related information. For example, consider your answers to these questions:

When firefighters are on a call and come across a resident with 50 gallons of chlorine in the basement but no swimming pool in the backyard, do they know what to do? When EMTS are on a medical aid call and observe five passports from different countries, all bearing the same photograph, on the kitchen table, do they know what to do?

Do your personnel pay attention and understand the potential significance or share this information with someone who might? Or do they forget this information at the end of the response or shift?

Integration of the mission

One of the primary goals of the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Technology & Training Support Center is researching the integration of the homeland security mission into community policing. Funded through a grant from the Department of Justice's Office of Community-Oriented Policing Services, the center recently brought together first responders to explore the collection and sharing of information at the local level.

One focus group consisted of police chiefs and fire chiefs, and the second was composed of police and fire line-level personnel representing the five homeland security regions in Massachusetts. The sessions were structured to optimize community information collection and intelligence-sharing. The following priorities emerged as critical for improving information collection and intelligence-sharing: training, approachability, promotion and outreach, and communication and follow-up.

First responders need to know how to cultivate information: what information to look for, how to collect it and where to send it. The group concurred that multidisciplinary awareness training reduces the information gaps between police and fire, but it must be embraced by each department's management to be effective. The starting point for homeland security must be with the chief executive officers of the local community. In addition, the department heads must be backed by a strong contribution from the elected leadership to facilitate the continuous development and integration of homeland security in every facet of community life.

The cultivation of community information depends heavily on first responders' approachability. The fire service is commonly deemed more approachable than law enforcement by community members and frequently receives unsolicited information. The same is true of fire-based and private emergency medical services during the course of rendering aid. Community members provide information and seek their assistance naturally. First responders must recognize these opportunities for information exchange as an important component of information collection to further the homeland security mission.

Community sources

Law enforcement's success in crime prevention across the country can be attributed in many instances to its application of community policing, a fundamental tenet of which is approachability. These successes, expanded to all first responder disciplines, are fertile ground for cultivating community sources of information in the fight against terrorism.

When challenged with this issue, the Massachusetts focus group responded with numerous community information sources:

Neighborhood watch programs are supported by local law enforcement and easily contacted. They provide advisories of crime trends and serve as a source of information about suspicious activities.

Religious groups often have information on controversial religious speakers or visitors.

Fraternal, social and civic clubs are a source of information about upcoming events.

Real estate agents are aware of suspicious activities at properties and often know about the location of wanted people and undocumented residents.

Housing managers for public housing, apartment complexes and property management associations may know about unusual rentals and other suspicious activities in the properties.

Storage facility operators may know about explosive or hazardous materials or other items in storage that could be connected to terrorist or criminal activity.

Transportation centers and tourist attractions are a target-rich environments for terrorism and a source of information about suspicious people and activities.

Hotels, including clerks, security officers, housekeepers, food service workers and entertainment staff, are a source of information about suspicious guests.

Business managers often know about purchasers of dangerous materials such as torches, propane and blasting supplies.

Major industrial enterprises, including their owners, security officers and nearby neighbors, are a source of information about potential threats and suspicious activities.

Delivery services, including letter carriers, couriers and delivery drivers may know about suspicious activities and packages.

Printing shops can be a source of information about threatening or illegal photos and about requests for development of multiple photographs for false ID cards.

Inspectors and code enforcers are a source of information about suspicious activities and materials, such as a large amount of fertilizer where there's no agricultural activity.

Facility licenses can reveal type of building, building plans, premise protection, fire suppression and hazmat storage.

Licenses and permits for handguns, firearms, liquor, hackneys, parades and events, blastings, business occupancies, and others include information about the background of licensees and permit holders.

Bar employees may hear about or observe suspicious conversations and activities.

Colleges and universities, including police officers, administrators, faculty clubs, student groups and alumni associations, can offer information about possession of hazardous materials; foreign exchange students; and controversial research, speakers, activities and events.

Schools, specifically teachers and administrators, can offer information about suspicious activities.

Custodians at schools and office buildings will be aware of students, employees, visitors and after-hours activities.

Health-care providers, from ambulance attendants to doctors and hospital employees, know about unusual injuries, such as radiation and chemical burns, in addition to mandatory reports of firearms and cutting injuries.

Trash collectors often are aware of strangers in the neighborhood, foreign substances in trash, inactivity or increased activity at a residence, and other suspicious people and things.

Vehicle rental companies can offer information about items left behind in rented vehicles, payment methods, and suspicious departure and return details.

Taxi and livery drivers, many from countries of interest, could be a source of information concerning activities and threats.

Information collection

All employees must understand their role in cultivating information sources. Many assume it's an investigator or detective's job, but it's everyone's responsibility. Take a close look at the way information is collected in the field. You need to listen and be willing to weed through the 90% of unimportant information to get the 10% that is usable. It can be tedious, time-consuming work, but the payoff is worth it.

There are many relevant information sources in every city and town that could affect homeland security. The information that police, fire and rescue personnel glean from the people they contact daily are the key to successful potential threat awareness. But once identified, how is the information collected? The Massachusetts focus group offered many ideas regarding procedures for information collection:

Meet in person at their venue

Because you need to contact people with whom you wouldn't normally talk, you have to show up in person. You can't call the high school and ask for the custodian and expect instant trust. You need to develop that relationship.

Attend neighborhood watch meetings

Listen to the residents. Cultural and ethnic groups might come to the attention of the fire service through the permit or code inspection process. This is a great way to develop resources in different neighborhoods and is a good way to collect information.

Be approachable and responsive

Because they're always available, police, fire and EMS personnel have to be willing to deal with situations and be approachable, not say, “It's not my job.” Take the time to listen and receive information. Leave your windows rolled down, and don't shut out the community.

Follow up

Sometimes first responders must answer a call, collect information, and clear the scene for operational reasons — a quick turnover. But they should return when the situation calls for it, because that's when they're more likely to have time to gather important information. Returning to talk also lets people know that their input is appreciated.

Recognize the importance of the initial call-taker

A caller's first contact sets the tone for the working relationship with first responders, and the first point of contact is typically the 911 call-taker. This is the first opportunity to collect information. The initial contact person must be willing to listen, or the quality of information collected will deteriorate. Don't expect a second call.

Management responsibility

Management needs to support information collection. First responders have a tendency to go with what's hot right now and then wait out management, as there's bound to be another hot issue soon. Management must make information collection and sharing a priority.

As one of the most influential members of the community, the fire chief must lead by example and demonstrate to the department's employees the importance of sharing information. It may mean that the fire chief goes across the street to meet with the police chief. Although there are many sources of information and methods of collecting it, there may not be any means to share it between a police chief and a fire chief, or a time and a place to ask questions and receive feedback from other disciplines on community issues or local threats.

The best protection initiative is to share information, and this begins at home, in every community. Everyone plays a part. The challenge is yours. Take the lead.

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Chief Stephen Doherty (Ret.), Wakefield (Mass.) Police Department, and Lt. Col. Bradley G. Hibbard (Ret.), Massachusetts State Police, are program managers at the Massachusetts Law Enforcement Technology & Training Support Center. Chief Ernest Mitchell (Ret.), Pasadena (Calif.) Fire Department, is the director of the National Firefighter Technology Resource Center, a division of the Center for Techology Commercialization's Public Safety Technology Center. He also is a former president of the IAFC.