Ballistic fire barriers – Part II

Abstract With new threats endangering the safety of substations, critical infrastructure protection in substations has come to include sniper fire, ballistics and blast protection. Safe...

byJohn. P. SINISI


Abstract

With new threats endangering the safety of substations, critical infrastructure protection in substations has come to include sniper fire, ballistics and blast protection. Safe by Design approach allows that all types of design safety and performance criteria – fire, blast, impact, wind – cross over from safety to security. In this article Critical Infrastructure Protection innovations and strategy options are discussed, with a focus on ballistic fire barriers that provide both safety and security at critical facilities.

Keywords: ballistic fire barriers, blast barriers, critical infrastructure protection, Safe by Design, UL 752, NFPA 851

Line of Sight and Safe by Design

On April 16th 2013 an attack was staged at a major U.S. substation in San Jose California, owned by a large utility company. A group of snipers opened fire and continued shooting for 19 minutes, destroying a large amount of equipment including 17 large transformers and six circuit breakers, putting the nation’s power grid at peril. It took 27 days to repair the substation and amounted to an estimated USD 15.4 million in damages.

With these types of incidents threatening the U.S power grid, substations are responding to new CIP requirements and Homeland Security objectives with standards and new budgets for upcoming projects to provide a more sophisticated approach to ballistics, fire and other protection. Large and small utilities all recognize the value of having a standard approach to safety, security, liability and loss control which the Safe by Design strategy can provide.

Some level of physical threat assessment is now part of the planning of all major projects for all utilities across the US. In addition to identifying critical substations and facilities, projects and initiatives to protect the highest risk facilities are already being implemented or built into the next upgrade. Some of the most common areas and trends that see the most need for assessment and protection include:

1. Transformers
2. Switches and controls
3. Buildings and towers
4. Tanks and lines

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