There is an old axiom that goes, “When seconds count, the police are just minutes away.” Today, this is an understatement. Law enforcement departments across the nation are understaffed and underfunded at unprecedented levels, leaving responding officers overwhelmed, physically overtaxed and overstressed, and exiting the profession at astonishing rates of attrition. So, what does this […]
The Greek historian and general Thucydides stated, “Hope is an expensive commodity. It makes better sense to be prepared.” This statement is as true today as it was 2,500 years ago. For utility security professionals, this maxim speaks to the nonchalant attitude toward substation and infrastructure security that many of us have or face from […]
As the Assassination Attempt that happened on July 13th Demonstrated, a Failure of Clarity, Communication and/or Consistency Can Lead to Devastating Consequences. It’s Vital that Your Substation Security Strategy Offers Certainty in All Three Areas. Albert Einstein once said, “Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” I often refer to this quote in […]
In utility physical security practice, professionalism comes from knowing what to do, why it needs to be done and how to do it. Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? However, gaining and maintaining true professional competency, or edge, requires continual effort. In our quest for professionalism we have to overcome a plethora of obstacles to success, […]
In my previous article, I discussed how dangerous unverified assumptions can be when it comes to substation security issues. Now, we will consider the impact of our decision-making process on substation security. Critical decision-making has nothing to do with “criticizing”. In critical decision-making, we’re using the third definition of “critical” in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary: “exercising […]
For many utilities, physical security begins at the door or the parking lot. However, robust facility protection starts at the perimeter. But we often abandon this defense resource to aesthetics, budget restraints, or misplaced values. This makes a secure perimeter the least considered and most often overlooked element of facility security. However, resilient perimeter protection […]
The names Nathan Baker, Zackary Randalls, Alex Boschert and William Froelich may not be familiar to you, but their stories are tragically important for utility workers. Nathan worked for East Mississippi Electric Power Association in Clarke County, Mississippi. Zackary was employed by Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) in Fresno, California. And Alex and William […]
How many substation security or protection articles have you started reading, assuming the subject was one thing, only to discover it was something else? The problem stems from the fact that there are multiple definitions for substation security and protection: one digital/data, one electrical and another physical. When utility professionals hear “substation protection,” many immediately […]
In this inaugural issue of Utility Security magazine, I felt the best place to start this column was with a foundational understanding from which we can build later. Let’s begin with a discussion of the paradox between safety and security. Many people see safety and security through the same lens and use the words interchangeably, […]
People have finally discovered one of the best unkept secrets in America: Our utility systems can be attacked, and it doesn’t take military tacticians to pull it off. Activists have recently renewed calls for more attacks that disrupt essential utility services and create chaos. Previously, terrorist groups focused on disabling the bulk power grid by […]
