A Good Fit
Safeguarding critical infrastructure doesn't mean aesthetics have to be ignored.
- By Aengus MacLoone
- Dec 01, 2009
With more than 15,000 chemical
facilities, 104 operating nuclear
reactors and hundreds more utility
facilities operating in the United States, it
is necessary to tailor security to suit the wide
variety of hazards posed by each facility. In
2003, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
developed a number of mandates regarding
enhanced security at nuclear power plants.
Primary among them were changes to the
security perimeter and the screening of employees,
vendors and visitors as they accessed
the site.
On June 15, 2005, the Bush administration
endorsed mandatory requirements for
heightened security at chemical plants, to
ensure proper safety precautions are being
taken. This executive endorsement came after
homeland defense experts flagged such
facilities as highly vulnerable to catastrophic
terrorist attack. Today's facilities operate under
these requirements by screening people
and vehicles and controlling access to and
within the facility.
Recognized as an essential aspect in securing
all nuclear power, chemical and utility
facilities, perimeter security assessment and
infrastructure is a key element in executing
an effective security model. That is why many
facilities have recognized vulnerabilities and
licensed security-contracting firms have arisen
to meet this need.
An Experienced Source
Customers choose to do business with Nuclear
Security Services Corp. because of its
experience in designing security solutions
that protect more than $125 billion in U.S.
critical infrastructure. With 25 years of industry
specialization in securing high-risk
targets and facilities, NSSC has advised
numerous facilities on their mission-critical
security solutions.
"For security officials within sensitive
commercial and government facilities, I
would advise them to see perimeter protection
as collaboration," said NSSC's Tim
Collins. "Security decision makers will need
to consider such factors as mission-critical
quality survivability. The functionality, or
the purpose, of the guard booth is to give an
advantage to one's officers. Inside this guard
booth, armed responders need to have the
ability to interdict—to respond to high-threat
levels with a high probability of survival.
"Guard booths are frequently defending
facilities that are critical to life, the environment
and the economy. So, creating the advantage
is critical."
Because guard booths play such a vital
role, many are now designed to be blast- and
ballistic-resistant enclosures.
Strict Specifications
When a Midwest nuclear power plant customer
asked NSSC to recommend a provider
of pre-fabricated blast- and ballistic-resistant
enclosures, Collins already knew the strict
design specifications that were necessary for
effectively securing such a facility.
"Regarding the safety and security of
those who work inside the security booth,
consideration needs to be given to make a
guard booth ergonomically friendly because
it is a confined space," Collins said. "You also
need to consider countertops and shelves
from a safety and security perspective and all
classified security devices.
"There are plenty of pre-fabricated outfits
that can put up steel walls, but a lot of specialty
equipment is used in mission-critical
protection. This sort of protection demands
unique specialty engineering skills in the construction
of the guard booth, which not every
pre-fab company possesses. The solution
for this nuclear power plant was created as
a joint effort between NSSC, Midwest NPP
and B.I.G. Enterprises—a California-based
pre-fab builder of blast- and ballistic-resistant
enclosures."
Passing the Test
Prior to the collaboration, NSSC was
asked to inspect the manufacturing facility
of B.I.G. Enterprises.
"High-quality welds within mission-critical
applications are necessary for the safety
and survival of security forces," Collins said.
"We take these site visitations very seriouslyas
do our clients. We were pleased with what
we saw at their facility."
When identifying and creating the survivability
advantage within a security infrastructure,
preparation at a facility's perimeter
is key not only in stopping
an attack but in deterring
them as well.
About the Author
Aengus MacLoone is a
freelance writer based in
Los Angeles.