WASHINGTON, DC, July 11, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- InfraGard National Members Alliance (INMA) and Nova Biologicals Inc., a leading testing facility to ensure safety of the country's drinking water supply, today announced the topic of drinking water security will have a dedicated track at the upcoming InfraGard 2005 National Conference.
The conference, sponsored by the InfraGard National Members Alliance and the FBI, will be held on Aug. 9-11, 2005, in Washington D.C. There also will be tracks and technical sessions dedicated to the following topics: Maritime and Port Vulnerabilities and Security; Computer Forensics; Cyber Security; First Responders; Financial Institution Security; Regulatory Compliance; and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Systems.
Nova Biologicals President Dr. Paul Pearce has been selected to chair the Drinking Water Security Track at the InfraGard 2005 National Conference. Speakers for the Drinking Water Security Track, which Dr. Pearce has entitled "Taking Aim at Our Nation's Drinking Water," will include experts from the Biological and Chemical Countermeasures Department of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Water Security Division of the Office of Emergency Response U.S. EPA Headquarters, and the United States Air Force.
"As security tightens around airports and other facilities, terrorists are focusing their efforts on targets that have relaxed security and easy access, and are critical to our Nation's wellbeing," said Dr. Pearce. "When struck, these 'soft targets', including our drinking water supply, will create fear and paralyze large groups of people."
Drinking water is the ultimate soft target. A necessity of life, drinking water security is a critical and emotionally-charged component of our nation's infrastructure. At a minimum, consciously-contaminated drinking water will cause the economy to stall, stop business activities and transportation, close schools and churches, interrupt governmental affairs, destroy the public's trust in their public officials, and negatively impact source water supplies (aquifers, reservoirs, lakes, and rivers). The aftermath of a single event is expected to cost billions of dollars.
"The Drinking Water Security Track at the InfraGard 2005 National Conference promises to provide compelling presentations from some of the Nation's premier experts on the topic," said Freeman Mendell, Conference Chairman for the InfraGard 2005 National Conference. "Additionally, the overall program of the track will provide attendees with a better understanding of the positive impact they can have on protecting our Nation's drinking water."
The goals of the Drinking Water Security Track are to:
-- Provide an overview and rationale for implementation of drinking water security measures
-- Outline management and operational considerations for enhancing physical security
-- Review design considerations for developing physical security
-- Present guidelines for selecting optimal physical security equipment
-- Describe cyber security management, operations, and design considerations
-- Enhance emergency response planning capabilities
-- Present a systematic approach to a fully integrated plan for drinking water security
"Drinking water security and protection is a prudent and realistic goal," added Dr. Pearce. "We are aware of drinking water's problems, and therefore at the InfraGard 2005 National Conference we will discuss plans to implement safe, cost-effective systems to monitor, detect and prevent nuclear, chemical and biological contamination, and disruption of our drinking water supply."
For more information about the InfraGard 2005 National Conference, please visit www.infragardconferences.com. For information regarding the Drinking Water Security Track at the conference, please contact Tamara Trow at 1-800-282-5416 or [email protected].
Founded in 1996 in the Cleveland, Ohio, field office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the InfraGard National Members Alliance (www.infragard.net) is a national network of vetted private sector experts. With over 16,000 members and 84 local chapters, InfraGard provides a vital link in protecting the nation's infrastructure by serving as subject matter resources to local, state and Federal law enforcement agencies.
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