Pilot Program Enacted for GovGuam Credentialing Cards

Hagåtña, Guam – In a partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Office of Technology (OTECH) and the Offices of Guam Homeland Security and Civil Defense (GHS/OCD) have begun the first phase of a pilot program, Personal Identity Verification-Interoperable (PIV-I), in an effort for PIV cards to become a common credential standard for the government of Guam. The capability will be two-pronged: allowing physical access for facilities, access to control rooms, etc., and logical access for any network the agencies operate. The program allows the territory to identify everyone within the government of Guam and provide certain privileges, so if there is a cyber event, it can be managed and properly researched.

“The FEMA program is in place to help all states, localities, tribes, and territories, on their “zero-trust” journey and will help Guam improve its digital identity for individuals, applications, organizations, and devices,” said Dr. Gregory Edwards, FEMA Chief Information Security Officer. “We are here to provide the initial capability by issuing equipment, cards, essentially a full kit, and from there the territory can take this and mature further and grow the program. This program ties directly into FEMA Administrator Criswell’s vision for improving resilience across the nation.”

In an initial discussion in December 2023, FEMA met with Frank Lujan, Jr., Chief Technology Officer, and Esther Aguigui, Guam Homeland Security Advisor to see if the PIV-I program would be viable for Guam. After continued discussion and planning, FEMA implemented a pilot program beginning with OTECH and GHS/OCD, and most recently, credentials for Governor Lou Leon Guerrero and Lt. Governor Joshua Tenorio.

“As we continue to solidify the process and ensure proper policies are in place, we will begin rolling this program out to other agencies, beginning with the Office of the Governor,” said Frank Lujan, Jr., Chief Technology Officer. “We have a goal to begin with the physical access piece first, especially for critical infrastructure agencies, and from there include all agencies throughout the rest of the year by implementing the program as part of an “on-boarding” and off-boarding” credentialing process within the government of Guam.”

“This type of PIV-I credentialing and security measure has always been something I wanted to implement to better improve our systems and our security as a territory,” said Esther Aguigui, Homeland Security Advisor. “We are grateful for this opportunity from FEMA and look forward to carrying out a program that is in line with Governor Leon Guerrero’s initiative and prioritization for hardened cybersecurity.”

OTECH, GHS/OCD and the Office of the Governor will be the first agencies within the government to implement the program, with a goal to move toward critical infrastructure in the coming months. More information will be provided as the PIV-I credentialing program becomes more available within the government.

For more information, contact Nicole Nelson with OTECH via email at Nicole.Nelson@otech.guam.gov, and GHS/OCD Public Information Officer Jenna G. Blas at jenna.g.blas@ghs.guam.gov.

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To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/floods

Wildfire

Regularly clean the roof and gutters.
Maintain an area approximately 30’ away from you home that is free of anything that will burn, such as wood piles, dried leaves, newspapers and other brush.
Connect garden hoses long enough to reach any area of the home and fill garbage cans, tubs, or other large containers with water.
Review your homeowner's insurance policy and also prepare/update a list of your home's contents.

Fire Weather

Turn on your TV/radio. You’ll get the latest weather updates and emergency instructions.
Know where to go. If you are ordered to evacuate, know the route to take and have plan of where you will go. Check-in with your friends and family.
Keep your car fueled, in good condition, and stocked with emergency supplies and a change of clothes.

Drought

Conserve water

Take shorter showers.

Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving.
Run the washer less frequently and only when you have a full load.
Water your lawn less frequently and do so when the temperature is cooler in the early morning or late evening.
When you run the tap to heat or cool water, keep a pitcher to store the water and use it to water plants.
Avoid washing your car.

Practice fire prevention

Don't set off fireworks when conditions are dry.
Deposit cigarette butts in the proper receptacle to avoid starting a
Pour water over camp fires and backyard fire pits to ensure they are completely out before leaving them unattended.

Follow directions from local officials. If there are restrictions on water usage, be sure to heed them.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/wildfires and https://www.ready.gov/drought

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Typhoons/Hurricanes are massive storm systems that form over the water and move toward land. Threats from typhoons/hurricanes include high winds, heavy rainfall, storm surge, coastal and inland flooding, and rip currents.

“Hurricanes” form in the Atlantic Northeast Pacific region and “Typhoons” form in the Northwest Pacific Region. These large storms are call cyclones in other parts of the world.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/hurricanes.