Buildings and Infrastructure Protection Series

This manual, part of the new Building Infrastructure Protection Series published by the United States (U.S.) Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) Infrastructure Protection and Disaster Management Division (IDD), serves to advance high performance and integrated design for buildings and infrastructure. This manual was prepared as a component of the S&T program for infrastructure protection and disaster management; the overall goal of this program is to enhance the blast and chemical, biological, and radiological (CBR) resistance of our Nation's buildings and infrastructure to meet specific performance requirements at the highest possible level. One of the objectives of this manual is to provide the tools and guidance to reduce physical damage to structural and nonstructural components of buildings and related infrastructure and to reduce resulting casualties caused by conventional bomb attacks and attacks using CBR agents. Although the material and the risk assessment methodology in this manual can be applied to most building types, it is intended to assist with the design and management of facilities in eight designated sectors outlined in the DHS 2009 National Infrastructure Protection Plan (the NIPP): Banking and Finance, Commercial Facilities, Communications, Critical Manufacturing, Government Facilities, Healthcare and Public Health, Information Technology, and Postal and Shipping. The purpose of this manual is to provide guidance to designers and decision makers in these sectors, to building professionals working for public and private institutions, and to first responder communities. It presents tools to help assess the performance of buildings and infrastructure against terrorist threats and to rank recommended protective measures. A primary objective of this manual is the establishment of a common framework of terminology to facilitate the transfer of this information. For example, a basis for design is established by identifying the threat or hazard to which a building may be vulnerable. Within the military, intelligence, and law enforcement communities, the term "threat" is typically used to describe the potential threat elements (personnel) and their tactics for creating terrorism or manmade disasters. Within FEMA and other civil agencies, the term "hazard" is used in several different contexts. "Natural" hazard typically refers to a natural event, such as a flood, wind, or seismic event. "Human-caused" (or manmade) hazards are "technological" hazards and "terrorism." These are distinct from natural hazards, primarily, in that they originate from human activity. Furthermore, "technological" hazards are generally assumed to be accidental, in that their consequences are unintended. For the sake of simplicity, this manual uses the terms "threat" to describe terrorism or intentional attacks and "hazard" to describe accidental manmade or technological hazards. Another objective of this manual is the transfer of design concepts that have been in use by DHS [these include concepts of the Interagency Security Committee (ISC) Standards and Best Practices, the General Services Administration (GSA), the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the U.S. Department of State (DOS), U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC), and the military services] to commercial practice. Several valuable risk assessment methodologies are used by both the public and private sectors; however, this manual focuses on the methodology described in FEMA 452, Risk Assessment: A How-To Guide to Mitigate Potential Terrorist Attacks (2005), which has been used extensively by Federal agencies, along with State and local governments and the private sector. This manual presents techniques that can be implemented incrementally over time to increase resiliency as well as decrease the vulnerability of a building to hazards and terrorist threats.