New National Terrorism Advisory System

April 20, 2011

The Secretary of Homeland Security has announced the implementation of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS)— that will provide timely information to the public about credible terrorist threats. This system replaces the former five color-coded alert system.

Under NTAS, DHS will coordinate with other federal entities to issue detailed alerts to the public when the federal government receives information about a credible terrorist threat. NTAS alerts provide a concise summary of the potential threat including geographic region, mode of transportation, or critical infrastructure potentially affected by the threat, actions being taken to ensure public safety, as well as recommended steps that individuals, communities, business and governments can take to help prevent, mitigate or respond to a threat. NTAS Alerts will include a clear statement on the nature of the threat, which will be defined in one of two ways:

• “Elevated Threat”: Warns of a credible terrorist threat against the United States
• “Imminent Threat”: Warns of a credible, specific, and impending terrorist threat against the United States

Depending on the nature of the threat, alerts may be sent to law enforcement, distributed to affected areas of the private sector, or issued more broadly to the public through both official and social media channels—including a designated DHS webpage (www.dhs.gov/alerts), Facebook, and via Twitter @NTASAlerts. NTAS alerts and posters will also be displayed in places such as transit hubs, airports and government buildings.

NTAS threat alerts will be issued for a specific time period and will automatically expire. Alerts may be extended if new information becomes available or as a specific threat evolves.

Our National Preparedness Standard, NFPA 1600 “Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs” calls for conducting a risk assessment to “identify hazards and monitor those hazards and the likelihood of their occurrence.” It also calls for “a process to monitor the identified hazards and adjust the level of preventive measures to be commensurate with the risk.” The National Terrorism Advisory System is an example of monitoring terrorism and the likelihood of occurrence. Each organization’s emergency management and business continuity program should identify actions that will be taken to enhance security and protect personnel, facilities, and business operations when advisories are issued. Guidance can be found on the "Resources Page" of the Preparedness, LLC website. We have developed customized action plans for many of our clients.