Emergency Services | South Carolina Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity

The Emergency Services Sector consists of specialized personnel with various capacities and skills who work to prevent, mitigate, respond to, and recover from emergency events. The sector is found in every geographic jurisdiction and every level of government.

The sector is composed of five sub-sectors:

Emergency Management
Emergency Medical Services
Fire and Rescue Services
Law Enforcement
Public Works

SC CIC has a close working relationship with emergency services organizations across the state that is naturally fostered through its ties with SLED and law enforcement. The SC CIC team speaks regularly at conferences and events hosted by those organizations, presenting relevant threat intelligence and anonymized data from recent incidents. Through these partnerships, SC CIC continuously raises awareness of the cybersecurity threats currently impacting emergency services organizations and works with them to close any identified gaps in defense.

Resources for the Emergency Services Sector:

South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED)

SLED’s primary mission is to provide quality manpower and technical assistance to law enforcement agencies and to conduct investigations on behalf of the state as directed by the Governor and Attorney General. The SLED website details the specialized departments available to assist local law enforcement.

South Carolina Emergency Management Division (EMD)

EMD leads the state emergency management program by supporting local authorities to minimize the loss of life and property from all-hazard events. Useful features of their website include a compilation of disaster relief grants critical infrastructure may qualify for (under Public Assistance and Mitigation) and a section specifically for Emergency Management (EM) Professionals.

SC State Fire | Office of the State Fire Marshal

South Carolina State Fire’s mission is to be the focal point for service and support to save lives and property through being an extension of the mission of every local fire department in the state. Their website contains details on applicable policies, statutes, and regulations as well as a selection of programs and training opportunities that may be useful to fire departments or individual firefighters.

Public utility worker inspecting a large pipe.

APWA | South Carolina Chapter

The South Carolina chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA) provides public works employees with educational, training, and networking opportunities in the state. Their website features a calendar of events that catalogs conferences and trainings relevant to public works professionals. Public works includes essential services, such as water, utilities, and trash collection. It also extends to departments that are deemed necessary for the government to provide services essential to public welfare and quality of life, like telephone, mass transportation, and communication facilities.

Emergency services professional using a desktop computer with four monitors

CISA | Emergency Services Webpage

CISA’s Emergency Services Sector webpage contains detailed information on what types of organizations belong to the Commercial Facilities Sector in the U.S. along with federal plans for the sector (Commercial Facilities Sector-Specific Plan) and all critical infrastructure in the country (National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP)). Sector-specific plans address how the NIPP should be utilized while considering each sector’s unique perspective.

Emergency services professional inspecting a row of fire extinguishers

Emergency Management & Response ISAC (EMR-ISAC)

Information Sharing & Analysis Centers (ISACs) help critical infrastructure professionals protect their infrastructure and employees from cybersecurity threats through the collection, analysis, and dissemination of threat information. ISACs help increase situational awareness across the critical infrastructure sectors through information sharing, partnerships, and networking opportunities.