Critical Infrastructure Emergency Risk Management

Erik Maranik CPEng, FIEAust.

Characteristics of a CI Emergency

• Major changes to operations

• A need to work with many jurisdictions, Government intervention

• Heightened community awareness / outrage, extensive media coverage

• Unusual deployment and tasking of resources

Catastrophic Consequences• Long-term inability to deliver services• Large number of fatalities/loss-of-life or

injuries requiring extended hospitalisation• Widespread displacement of people• Extensive property damage• Severe environmental impact, long-term or

permanent damage• Extensive and widespread financial loss

Understanding Context

• Ageing and complex services, facilities, and/or resources

• Complex intra / interdependencies• Reduction of corporate knowledge and

expertise (the ‘Beatles’ 1964)• Reliance on automation and remote

control

Understanding Context

• Diverse stakeholders / communities / customers / users

• Complex decision making and contracts• Lack of modern experience with actual

events• “Just-in-Time” procurement – long lead times

Risk Identification

• Requires a logical analytical construct, both spatial and temporal, to discover latent risk

• Understand the characteristics and interaction of the sources of risk - interdependencies

• A need to explore and involve a broad cross-section of experience and knowledge (“4G”)

Critical Infrastructure Issues

• Loss of the services, facilities and or resources

• Extent of influence• Intra/interdependencies• Resources prioritisation and substitutability• Escalation (Incident to Catastrophe)• Magnification

Treatments & Mitigation

• Operational – precautionary stance• Technical possibilities• Financial constraints• Legal ramifications• Social acceptability• Environmental influences

Food• Chemical residues, nuts, processing

equipment fragments, sharps, medical waste, toxins and poisons

• Cold Storage – “the cold chain”• Storage, Distribution, Preparation• Emotive Reaction, Hoarding• Tomato Puree, Bakers Yeast, Medicines• Rations – rice and flour

Power and Water• Generation Interdependencies• Transmission (Frequency Control)• Distribution (Load Shedding)• Supply Restoration • Real-time “State of the Network”

(defensive design and posturing)

Some Tools• BECRIME - Biological, Explosive,

Chemical, Radiological, Incendiary, Manipulation and Electrical

• Scenario Analysis and Exercises• Security in Design and Operation• Stakeholder Resilience• Infrastructure Robustness

Challenges• Overwhelming pressure for decisions

both number and complexity

• Values and beliefs become very important and are tested

• Resources sharing and mutual aid arrangements are critical

• Understand Escalation and Magnification