February 2012 - Online DHS program simplifies security assessments at Convention Centers, Lodging, Performing Arts Centers, Racetracks, Performing Arts Centers, Stadiums & Arenas and Theme Parks. The impact of terrorist attacks and natural hazards on transportation, stadiums, hotels and other commercial facilities around the world underscores the need for serious assessments of security and preparedness measures here in the United States. With thousands of commercial facilities hosting hundreds of thousands of people at events on any given day, facility managers have a responsibility to ensure the safety and security of staff, presenters, performers, and attendees.

Today, assessing risks and vulnerabilities is faster and easier thanks to a new online program—the Risk Self-Assessment Tool (RSAT)— developed by the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS), National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD), Office of Infrastructure Protection (IP). RSAT can assist facility managers in identifying, evaluating, and mitigating threats and vulnerabilities to foreign and domestic terrorist attacks and natural hazards, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires.

RSAT is offered free and provides valuable insights you can use to keep your facility and the public more secure. RSAT also incorporates Protected Critical Infrastructure Information protections into the process, ensuring that any information you enter into RSAT cannot be disclosed by the Federal government, either under the Freedom of Information Act, any similar state or local disclosure laws, civil litigation or as the basis for any regulatory action. All of your information is protected and private.

How RSAT Works
RSAT combines DHS threat and consequence estimates with the following information supplied by you:

• Facility Characterization: Size, attendance, capacity, and primary uses.

• Threat Rating: Ranking on a scale of 1 to 7 the probability that a man-made or natural hazard will occur at your facility.

• Vulnerability Assessment: Information on your facility’s overall security posture, including emergency planning, training, communication, personnel access and on-site security forces.

• Specific Hazards: You choose a minimum of one natural hazard and two man-made hazards to be evaluated in greater detail.

• Detailed Vulnerabilities: An in-depth evaluation of  protective measures already implemented, based on additional specific information provided by you.

RSAT Reports
RSAT processes this information to produce two reports to use in identifying and prioritizing those areas where protective measures, training and procedures are most needed.
 
The Self-Assessment Report: Using RSAT, you can immediately print a Self-Assessment Report from online. It provides detailed information on your facility’s existing security and protection strengths and the areas of greatest vulnerability for each hazard evaluated. Options for those areas where security and protection might be improved are listed, along with a general explanation of relevant security and protection measures.

The Benchmark Report: RSAT can also show you how security at your particular facility compares to others of similar size and use. Facility managers who would like to receive this optional report must submit their RSAT data to DHS for use in creating the comparison.  
 
How Often to Assess
DHS encourages all facility managers to take steps to fully evaluate their protective measures and determine where their facilities may be vulnerable. DHS recommends that you reassess at least once a year to evaluate the impact of any new threats and to assess the effectiveness of current security and protective measures. You should also consider reassessing whenever there is a change in a particular threat, a situational change, a special event, recent security incidents or something that exposes your facility to a threat that has not been considered or evaluated previously. Risk assessment, in other words, should be an ongoing process.

The DHS/NPPD/IP is tasked with preventing catastrophic loss of life and managing disruptive, cascading impacts to the United States across multiple man-made and natural threat scenarios. DHS recognizes, however, that facility managers are the ones best positioned to determine risks and to implement the protective technology, procedures and other measures to safeguard their commercial facilities. Using RSAT, you can justify putting your security dollars to best use.

To learn more about the Risk Self-Assessment Tool and how you can use it to assess your facility, contact [email protected]. To  register online go to https://rsat.anl.gov.

The National Protection and Programs Directorate’s Office of Infrastructure Protection leads the national effort to mitigate terrorism risk to, strengthen the protection of, and enhance the all-hazard resilience of the Nation’s critical infrastructure.

Learn more at www.dhs.gov/criticalinfrastructure.