The Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources (CIKR) Asset Protection Technical Assistance Program (CAPTAP) is offered jointly by the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Infrastructure Protection (IP) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Private Non-Profit (PNP) facilities to assist state and local first responders, emergency managers and homeland security officials to understand:

• The basic tenets of the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP),
• The value of a comprehensive infrastructure protection program, and
• The steps required to develop and implement such a program. 

The CAPTAP curriculum also includes instruction on the use of the Automated Critical Asset Management System (ACAMS) as a tool to support critical infrastructure protection programs. 

What Does CAPTAP Provide?

CAPTAP is a week-long technical assistance service designed to foster an understanding of the processes and methodologies applied in developing and implementing infrastructure protection programs as well as making state, local, tribal, and territorial partners aware of some of the resources available when building effective infrastructure protection programs. CAPTAP service covers the following topics:

• Developing and implementing an infrastructure protection program, including:
  
  • Understanding the need for coordinated approaches to infrastructure protection
  • Understanding the Risk Management Framework as defined within the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP)
  • Engaging in and fostering public/private partnerships
  • Defining, identifying, and cataloging infrastructure sites and systems
  • Understanding how information is protected via the Protected Critical Infrastructure Information (PCII) Program
  • Conducting pre-incident security enhancement planning

• Conducting infrastructure site assessments, including:
  
  • Effectively coordinating and communicating with infrastructure owners/operators and on-site security and facilities personnel
  • Applying vulnerability assessment methodologies
  • Conducting critical infrastructure owner/operator out-briefs

• Using the ACAMS tools, including:
  
  • Assigning programmable, role-based access
  • Using the ACAMS model for critical infrastructure asset inventory and inventory management
  • Conducting critical infrastructure vulnerability assessments
  • Creating critical infrastructure reports
  • Using Buffer Zone Plan development tools
  • Using integrated mapping and geospatial tools
  • Accessing infrastructure protection reference material

CAPTAP Audience

The CAPTAP service is designed primarily for state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement, first responders, emergency managers, homeland security officials and others in the state and local community that have infrastructure protection responsibilities. 

All CAPTAP participants must be sponsored by a state, tribal, territorial, or local government to attend.

How to Sign Up for CAPTAP

States, tribes, territories, and urban areas can request to host a CAPTAP service by submitting a completed Technical Assistance (TA) application (PDF, 1 page - 57 KB) to FEMA’s Centralized Scheduling and Information Desk (CSID) at 1-800-368-6498 or askcsid@dhs.gov. 

The Department will review applications for completeness and to ensure that all prerequisites have been addressed. 

Requests to host CAPTAP services will be scheduled on a “first-come, first-served” basis. Scheduling will be based on the availability of technical assistance service providers and in accordance with Department priorities.  Each area will be limited to two requests per year.