Site Specific Plan Outline for Rural/Metro West, Research Paper Example

Executive Summary

The National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) states that all segments of Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources must develop a protection plan. These protection plans are commonly referred to as Sector Specific Plan (SSP) and address the unique vulnerabilities and risk assessment needs of each sector. The SSP is monitored by the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Government Sector Specific Agency (SSA) and its monitoring measures are established according to criteria set forth in the Homeland Security Presidential Directive-7 (HSPD-7).

Rural/Metro Corporation is a private emergency services company that provides 911 emergency and inter-facility transportation, as well as private fire protection services t

o six states in Western United States. These states include Nebraska, South Dakota, Colorado, Oregon, California, and Washington (Rural/Metro Corporation, 2012). Currently, the corporation is planning future service expansions to other western states such as Wyoming, Utah, North Dakota, Nevada, Montana, Idaho, Alaska, and Hawaii. This organization employs almost 2,000 workers and provides ambulance transportation and fire protection services to the aforementioned states, 24 hours a day. As such, Rural/Metro West provides an estimated 300,000 ambulance transports annually (Rural/Metro Corporation, 2012). Furthermore, the organization is the exclusive provider of 911 emergency ambulance services to all major cities in the mentioned western states, has the most well-established relationships with large hospital networks to provide patient transport needs in the western states, and is the national health leader in private fire protection services. The organization is also renowned as an expert in on-site fire protection services for oil refineries, airports, and manufacturing plants.

1. Subsector/Company Profile Goals

Nearly 80 percent of the United States’ infrastructure consists of privately owned companies. Rural/Metro West is no exception. It is therefore crucial that the organization adheres to NIPP standards to ensure national safety measures. In addition, it is in the best interest of rural/Metro West stakeholders that the best possible practices are implemented to protect the organization’s assets. The most effective means to ensure that these needs are met is through the development of strong relationships between public and private partners, through the coordination of response efforts, and through the implementation of effective risk management models.

1.1Company Vision

Rural/Metro West depends on the collaboration of various sectors to ensure the effectiveness of its day-to-day operations. This organization is the nation’s leading provider of fire protection and safety services, and ambulance emergency services. Through the continuous expansion of its technological, business, and clinical processes rural/Metro West sustains its business success. Because of the nature of the organization, it is essential that all company employees act responsibly in all interactions. As such, the organization is accountable for the continued prosperity of its financial platform through the establishment of long-term relationships with its customers, patients, co-workers, and the communities which it serves. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) works closely with the emergency services sector to assess risks, identify and prioritize assets, measure program effectiveness, and develop and implement protection programs.

1.2 Site Specific Goals

The DHS defines the emergency services sector (ESS) as a system of response and recovery elements that constitutes the nation’s first line of defense. As such, it is responsible for the avoidance and decrease of consequences from any terrorist attack (U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Infrastructure Protection, 2012). HSPD-7 has identified ESS as one of the nation’s 18 critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR). CIKR refers to the nation’s private and public systems, assets, and networks that are vital to the U.S. These factors are so vital to the country that the destruction of any of these elements would severely compromise the nation’s security, national economic security, and public health and safety (U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Infrastructure Protection, 2012). The ESS is comprised of the following first-responder disciplines:

• Emergency medical services
• Fire
• Hazardous material
• Emergency management
• Law enforcement
• Bomb squads
• Search and rescue
• Tactical operations/special weapons assault teams.

There are numerous interdependencies within the ESS that adhere to all CIKR sectors. In fact, the ESS is the primary protector of all CIKR. This includes chemical plants, dams, and nuclear reactors. These CIKR facilities depend on the ESS and its assistance with prevention, planning, and extenuation activities in addition to responding to day-to-day incidents and disastrous situations.

1.3 Company Partnerships

Free sharing of information between CIKR owners and operators and the government is made possible by the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC). CIPAC makes it possible for sector partners to join forces on sensitive security issues in a protected environment. This framework nurtures open communication which aids in the growth of protective programs, processes, and plans designed to secure the sector. In addition, the Emergency Services Sector Coordinating Council (ES SCC) represents the emergency response and security elements across state, local, and territorial emergency responder communities.

2. Identification of Assets, Systems, Functions

Rural/Metro West relies on many different assets, systems, and functions for overall effectiveness of day-to-day operations, and for overall security.

2.1 Company Assets and Systems

• Raw Materials: Medical equipment and some medications used during emergency situations can be toxic, flammable, or life-threatening if improperly consumed, or left in undesirable conditions.
• Production Equipment: This equipment refers to the actual vehicles used during emergency situations. It may include ambulances or fire trucks, or any other vehicle used during any one of the emergency situations mentioned before.
• Personnel: Personnel include all Rural/Metro West employees, patients, and stakeholders.
• Transportation: Patients are transported for emergency and non-emergency events to and from, and between healthcare facilities. Types of patient transportations include advanced life support, basic life support, neonatal transportation, wheelchair transportation, and critical care transportation. The sector also heavily depends on specialized vehicles and secure transportation routes to accommodate sector operations.
• Automation: The control system monitors all communications between ESS and hospitals and law enforcement officials. ESS also relies heavily on complex communication and IT systems to ensure effective communications, appropriate management, and efficient coordination of varied elements during emergencies.

2.2 Collecting Infrastructure Information

Rural/ Metro West is a private company within the emergency services sector. Infrastructure information is voluntarily supplied to DHS, or as required by the CIKR and other federal, state, and local agencies.

3. Overview of Risk Management

According to the NIPP, risk is a degree of potential harm that includes vulnerability, threat, and consequence.

3.1 Use of Risk Assessment

Risk is determined through the combination of probable consequences of a catastrophe. Various methods are utilized to assess risk, for instance chemical hazards evaluation, the tiered approach, security risk assessment, and process hazard analysis. Through a risk assessment an organization can determine how to effectively define and address vulnerabilities within the facility. This includes prioritizing a course of action during an emergency, as well allocating appropriate funds for the emergency (Homeland Security, 2012).

3.2 Assessing Consequences

The NIPP defines consequences as the amount of damage or loss that can expected. The HSDP-7 set forth criteria for a national comparative risk assessment; they include:

• Economic impact
• Psychological impact
• Health impact, and
• Governance impact.

Consequences concerning Rural/Metro West include:

• Public health and safety: includes the effect on human life and wellbeing and may be reduced by the amount of resilience and redundancy supplied by other responding elements,
• Economic: includes the direct and indirect economic losses that will be incurred when taking into account the cost to rebuild an asset, the cost related to the loss of a product, and the cost related to recover from an attack.

3.3 Assessing Vulnerabilities

Vulnerability refers to an asset’s probability of exploitation, destruction, or incapacitation through the means of a natural disaster, man-made attack, or accident.

3.4 Assessing Threats

The DHS, federal, state, and local agencies are responsible for threat assessments as it relates to a particular asset. According to the Homeland Infrastructure Threat and Risk Analysis Center (HITRAC), potential threats are defined as:

• Manmade threats, which includes chemical, biological, or radiological attacks,
• Natural threats, which includes fires, floods, and hurricanes,
• Cyber-related threats, which includes degradation of CAD system, or technological hazards, and
• Workforce threats, which includes insider threats, human error, and pandemic flu.

Specific threats to Rural/Metro West include:

• Property or material theft,
• Material or vehicle malfunction,
• Loss of containment,
• Cyber-attack,
• System failures,
• Human error.

4. Development and Implementation of Programs

Successful programs result from information-sharing to support program development and implementation.

4.1 Development

Established goals are used as guidelines to establish standards and processes for protective programs. Programs are typically developed through a collaboration of the DHS and other federal, state, and local agencies. Through the identification of risk management action, functional and flexible protection programs are developed. Risk management actions are designed to minimize the impact, decrease the likelihood, and alleviate the threat of a disaster.

Elements of the protective plan include comprehension (which protects the facility’s assets), policy (which establishes the organization’s policies and explains them to the employees), coordination (which promotes relationship-building with government agencies), incident reporting (which entails safe record keeping), cost effectiveness (which demands proper fund allocations), and periodic reassessment (which refers to plan changes based on physical and technological advances).

Rural/Metro West Protection plan:

• Establish communication and emergency management procedures with local agencies,
• New-employee screening,
• Employee training.

4.2 Implementation

Rural/Metro West will implement protection programs voluntarily, in conjunction with exercise and training programs, and programs that most effectively address high-asset vulnerabilities.

5. Progress/ Success Measurement

Program effectiveness is measured is the final task in the NIPP risk management framework. It determines the instrument by which CIKR protection activities can be enhanced. A metrics-based system is used by the NIPP to institute responsibility, record performance, facilitate diagnoses, and promote effective management. Measurement is a shared responsibility between DHS and its CIKR partners, including Federal, State, local, tribal, territorial, and private sector stakeholders.

5.1 Metrics

According to NIPP standards, ESS identifies key RMAs and developing metrics to measure its development. The NIPP defines an RMA as “a program, tool, initiative, project, major task, or some other undertaking that directly or indirectly leads to a reduction in risk,” (Homeland Security, 2012).

5.2 Implementing Corrective Actions

Based on DHS and other emergency sector partner findings, Rural/Metro West may be required to adjust operational standards to improve patient safety and care effectiveness.

5.3 Continuous Improvement

Rural/Metro West can sustain organizational security and success through further developments and enhancements of its current procedures.

6. Program Management and Implementation Responsibilities

6.1 Rural/Metro West Stakeholders

In essence, Rural/Metro West remains responsible for the execution and management of the site protection plan. Best practices for protective measures ensure:

• Public confidence,
• Proper resource allocations,
• Above par employee training,
• Annual reporting, and
• Adequate maintenance.

6.2 Collaboration with DHS and other Government agencies

The ES SCC identifies vulnerabilities and develops policies that benefit the sector through collaborations with the SSA and the sector’s Government Coordinating Council (GCC).

6.3 Information Sharing

The Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) enables the free sharing of information between government agencies and CIKR owners and operators.

References

Homeland Security. (2012). National Infrastructure Protection Plan. Retrieved from DHS.gov: http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/editorial_0827.shtm

Rural/Metro Corporation. (2012, March 29). Welcome to Rural/Metro’s West Zone. Retrieved from ruralmetrowest.com: http://www.ruralmetrowest.com/

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Infrastructure Protection. (2012). Emergency Services Sector. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Homeland Security.