Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, fire chiefs across the United States have sought information about the terrorism threat to their communities to assist in eliminating or reducing the element of surprise in their operations, especially intelligence on terrorism trends and targeting related to critical infrastructure and special events in their jurisdictions.

This intelligence has been sought to enhance the situational awareness and safety of first responders, incident commanders and field operators. While the needs and resources within every jurisdiction are unique, this guide describes possible options that fire chiefs may explore for accessing the intelligence they require.