 Utilities
have special characteristics that pose unique security challenges. Empowered to treat,
store and distribute potable water, utility sites vary depending on a city's
distinct circumstances. Some water storage facilities contain water in
underground reservoirs, while others are stored in aboveground tanks. Many
sites are located in remote areas; others are encroached by housing and other
urban developments. At most sites, a fence is the only existing security
measure.
Concerns
over keeping our nation's utilities protected from terrorist contamination and/or destruction have
heightened in our post-9/11 world. Given that most facilities are not monitored
by advanced security systems, officials fear it would be easy for a terrorist
to damage, destroy or contaminate a city's main water supply, causing widespread illness, disruption, and even
death.
Given
the vulnerability of our nation's water treatment, and storage distribution facilities,
utilities must rise to the challenge of protecting our potable water
resources from terrorist infiltration and contamination. One of the most
effective ways to safeguard these facilities is with sensor-enabled fences and
pole- or building-mounted cameras—security measures designed to protect a
facility's perimeter as well as identify and assess invasive incidents when
they occur.
When
integrated with exterior cameras, PureActiv's wide-area surveillance and
perimeter protection solution equips water utilities with an intelligent
‘command and control' system, enabling an operator to monitor all of the utility's
water storage and treatment facilities from one centralized location. PureActiv's
intelligent object detection and tracking and satellite imagery-based command
and control system is able to recognize perimeter intrusions, alert security operators
and track the suspect, giving authorities the information they need to ensure
an accurate and effective emergency response.
Consider these scenarios.
| A
terrorist infiltrates a water storage facility's perimeter fence and infects the
water with bacteria that leads to botulism (a severe, sometimes fatal pathogen). |
In
addition to detecting, tracking and notifying the facility's security operator
of the perimeter intrusion, PureActiv will record and track the situation—evidence designed to assist authorities with identifying the suspect and assessing
the threat level. This technology also helps officials take appropriate
action, which in this case, would likely require isolating the contaminated
water supply. |
| |
|
| A
terrorist steals a water storage facility worker's site access card,
intending to gain unauthorized access to the facility. |
PureActiv
and its advanced camera system can be integrated with a utility facility's
card access system, which checks the live image of a cardholder against an
archived still image. This capability prevents the terrorist from gaining
entrance to the facility using the worker's stolen card. |
| |
|
| A
group of teenagers breaks into a water storage area, planning to vandalize the
equipment and facility. |
Integrated
with cameras and/or fence detection sensors, PureActiv is designed to detect
this intrusion and alert security personnel, giving authorities time to
prevent the break-in and/or stop the vandalism while in progress. |
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