Security of Tunnels & Underground Space - istss

Security of Tunnels and Underground
Space: Challenges and Opportunities
3 rd International Symposium on Tunnel Security & Safety (ISTSS)
March 14, 2008
Harvey W Parker
President, Harvey Parker & Associates, Inc.
Past President, International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA)

International Tunnelling and
Underground Space Association (ITA)
• Organization of Member Nations
– NGO of the United Nations
– 52 Member Nations + Affiliates
– ITA Network ~ 20,000
• ITA-COSUF
– Committee on Operational Safety of
Underground Facilities
– Open to organizations dealing with
design, construction, operation, use
& research of all underground
facilities

Two Major Security Issues
• Protect the Public & Facilities
– Main Thrust
• Existing Facilities
• New Design & Construction
• Use of the Underground as a Safe Haven
– Safe Havens offer more security than security risks

Underground as a Safe Haven
• The Underground offers Natural Protection to
Whatever is Placed Underground
• Man has turned to the Underground every time he
Wanted to Keep or Protect Anything for Future
Use or Safe Disposal
• Abundant Examples of the Underground used for
Safety & Security
– Generally Unappreciated or Taken for Granted
– Out of sight-out of mind

Development of Use of the
Underground for Shelter & Safety
• Adapted Caves to
Specific Needs
• Created Man-made
Space for Safety
– Graves – Classic “Six Feet
Under”
– Tombs
– Storage
– Transportation
– Military
– Work & Living Space

Graves & Tombs for Security
Range from small hand-dug pits & caves to
sophisticated and richly decorated tombs
Tepic, Mexico
Ming Tomb, China
Tutankhamun Tomb, Egypt
(Source: Wikipedia)

Military Uses of Underground
• Bomb Shelters
• Bunkers
• Submarine Pens
• Aircraft Hangers
• Command Facilities
• Civil Works
– Sewage Treatment Plants
– Oil Storage Caverns
• Missile Silos & Bases
• Abundant Networks of
Trenches & Tunnels

Underground Dwellings for Security
Mesa Verde, USA
(Source Wikipedia)
Cappdocia, Turkey
(Source S.R. Nelson)
Guadix, Spain
(Source: Wikipedia)

Underground Storage for Security
(Source: FERC 2004)

Underground Storage of Fuel
Kuji Oil Storage, Japan
(Source: ITA)
Solution Mined Salt Cavern
(As large as 200 m by 1000 m)
(Source: SMRI)

Storage of Food & Water for Security
Food Storage Morocco
(Source: Sterling)
Ancient Water Storage, Turkey
(Source: ITA)

Underground Storage of Water
(Source: Broch)

Comparative Security of above Ground Facilities

Security of Nuclear Facilities
1) Waste Disposal
Numerous programs worldwide to confirm feasibility of
underground storage of nuclear waste
2) The Next Step:
Underground Nuclear Power Plants for Security & Safety
against accidents as well as natural and manmade hazards

Security Archival Storage
(Source: ITA)
Svalbard Global Seed Vault Norway
(Storage for 2.25 Billion Seeds at -18 C)
(Source: Global Crop Diversity Trust)

Superior Dynamic Resistance of
Underground Facilities
• Underground facilities
– Security advantage against dynamic forces
– Behave very well in earthquakes
– Have been demonstrated to be capable of
being hardened against large blasts

Unappreciated Financial Value of Security
Aspects of Underground Space
• Safe Havens
– Consider as Security Investments, not costs
– Earthquake safety for lifelines
• Invaluable
– Weather
– Forest Fires & Landslides
– Intentional Acts
• San Francisco Earthquake (1995)
– Subway inspected & service restored within hours
– Took rest of San Francisco many months to recover
• Subway service during recovery time was INVALUABLE

Safe Haven Summary
• Safe Havens reduce security risk rather than pose extra risks
• Many Safe Havens of all kinds exist
– New creative applications being developed frequently
• Increase decision makers’ awareness of safe havens
– Take better advantage of safe haven concept
– Recognize and present financial advantage in proper perspective
– Security investments, not costs
• Lessons Learned from safe havens
– Limited Access
– Isolation
– Life Cycle Financial Advantages
• We must strive to maintain their special security advantage
– Our adversaries are:
• Resourceful
• Constantly trying
– We owe the public to keep ahead of adversaries

Security Challenges & Opportunities
• Protect the Public & Facilities
– Existing Facilities
– New Design & Construction
• Safe, Meaningful, Communication & Cooperation
• Technology Transfer
• Non-Technical Issues
• Risk Management
• Cost of Security

Typical Threats
• Natural & Accidental
– Fire in frozen food storage warehouse (1992)
• Burned 5 months
– Chicago Downtown Flooding (1992)
• Freight tunnel damaged
• Flooded all downtown basements
– Flooding of Prague Subway (2002)
• Extreme Flood
• 17 stations & ~20 km tunnel flooded
• Intentional
– Sarin gas attack, Tokyo (1995)
– Daegu subway arson, Korea (2003)
– Moscow, Russia (2004)
– London, UK (2005)

Security Challenges
Time Sequence
Deter
Detect
Defend
Shield
Evacuate
Cleanup
Rehabilitate
Deny
Delay
Protect
Isolate
Mitigate
Repair
Restore

Deter & Protect Underground Space
• Difficult because of unknown threat and at an
unknown time, a so-called “unknown-unknown.”
• Tunnels & underground space not necessarily targets of choice
– Yet an event or events could occur at anytime
– Challenge is to use this time to develop countermeasures
• Intentional acts
• Global warming impact
• Underground transportation tunnels, and underground space
for public use appear to be more vulnerable and more difficult
to protect

Challenge: Must Address ALL Threats
• Not just transportation tunnels
– All tunnels must be addressed
– Water, Wastewater are critical lifelines
• Different needs; different solutions
– Utilities, storage
– Underground space
• Not just Civil/Structural risks:
– Include management & training & public image
– Include Communications & Control
• Address Arson, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Explosive
– Combinations
• Must Address Flooding urgently
– Natural flooding
• Prague
• Global warming
– Manmade Hazards
• Accidental flooding in Chicago
– Make precautions before construction near existing tunnels
• Intentional acts

Safe, Meaningful, Communications,
and Cooperation
• Most challenging aspect of security
– But also potentially the most rewarding opportunity
• Issues
– Confidentiality
– Compromising
– Legal etc.
• Industry is in dire need to openly communicate in secure
forums
– Currently restricted by legal confidentiality agreements
– Clearly confidentiality of sensitive information MUST be preserved
• Anything less plays into the hands of our adversaries

Needed: Open Communications- See TRB Reports

Security Development Research &
Implementation
• Compared to other security initiatives, the
Underground Field is lagging
– Generally tunnel security done by cities & agencies
– Not well coordinated
• Legal & confidentiality constraints
– Not funded well enough

ITA Initiatives
• Task Force on Security
• ITA is Well-Suited for Worldwide Action
• Consistent with Current ITA-COSUF Activities
– Fire and Life Safety Legacy
• Mandate of our Industry
– Provide a Worldwide Forum for:
• Safe Information Sharing
• Stimulating Protective Actions

Task Force Restraints
• Enormous Potential Scope
• Confidentiality Issues
– Not wanting to write a manual for our
adversaries
– Confidentiality desires within projects, cities,
nations
• Legal Issues
• Expectation that others are providing role
• Probable Mistaken desire to avoid publicity

Develop Worldwide Forum
• Similar to an Underground ISAC but not 24/7
– Collect, Analyze & Disseminate Information
• Past and Current Incidents
• Facts, Suggestions, & Guidelines
• Lessons Learned
– Evaluate threats & defenses
– Develop & Share Ideas
• With Current Operators
• Future Design & Construction
– Stimulate
• Operational & Design Actions
• Funding
• Research and Testing
• Demonstrations
• Forum requires Fail-Safe Security Protocols
– Interchange can occur on one of several increasingly classified
levels of security

Design Opportunities
• Compartmentalization
– How to compartmentalize without destroying function
• Ventilation
• Drainage
– How & when to deploy
• Optimize Security with Fire & Life Safety
– Especially when upgrading
• Water & Wastewater Opportunities: Detection & Diversion
• Physical Mitigation
– Fillets or rounded corners to ease cleanup
– Fewer joints and cracks
– Sacrificial Coatings
• Security Management
• Softer non-technical side of security
• How to Afford Increased Security

Transfer of Technology
• Think “Out of the Box:” Consider Opportunities,
not just risks
• Share & gain ideas from outside our industry
• Be bold & visionary
– Lessons Learned in many fields
• Mining industry
• Bridge & Buildings
• Even Shipboard fire information
– Technology from Hot Air Balloons now adapted to
tunnel fire safety & is being extended to security

Bold & Visionary Technology Transfer
(Hot Air Balloons to Tunnel Fire Fighting)
Courtesy of
Lindstrand
Technologies

Future Needed Developments
• Compartmentalization
– Ventilation
• Active & Passive
– Drainage
• Barriers
– Integral or portable
– Structural or non-structural
– Purposes
• Fire
• Flooding
• C,B,R
– Applicability to utility tunnels
• Non-Tunnel Underground Spaces
– Different, more complex ventilation schemes
– Larger Underground Space Openings

RISK & CHOICES
ARE PLENTIFUL

Risk Management
•Use Systematic Risk Management
• Powerful method
– Right Attitude
– Right Approach
• Puts security issues into context with other risks
and opportunities
• Helps manage Thinking Out of the Box
• Compare Cost to the Benefits
• Evaluate Safe Haven Financial Advantages

Risk Management Workshops
1) Identify Problem or Problem Category
2) Assign likelihood (1-5)
3) Assign Impact (1-5)
4) Calculate Risk
5) Identify Mitigation if needed
6) Tracked with Risk Registers

Risk is Impact X Probability

Flexible Contracting Opportunities
• Rapid changes
– Methods considered in design may be obsolete by time
construction complete
– Manage with Risk Registers
• Flexible Contracting Methods & Attitudes
–Permit latest equipment can be installed at the last practical
time
• Cost effectively without undue penalty to Owner or Contractor
– Permit equipment upgrades at any time while in service
• Cost effectively with minimum disruption to service and to public
• Pitfalls of Design-Build & Concessionaire Contracts
– Owner may have to relinquish some decision authority

Prepare As-Constructed Reports
• Previously desired for:
– Future Expansion
– Maintenance
– Geological archive
• Now extremely valuable
– Assess vulnerabilities
– Assess extent & seriousness if damaged
– Plan quick & efficient repair & restoration
• Usually emergency repairs needed
– No time to guess what was already built
• Must provide fail-safe protection for the data
– Confidentiality
– Limited access

Asset Management Program for Security
• To assess vulnerabilities, must:
– Know what you have
– Know the condition of the asset
• Comprehensive Asset
Management Program
– Incorporate Building Information
Modeling (BIM)
(Source: ITA)
• Consistent with need to plan
underground space & operations
• Must provide fail-safe data
protection

Planning & Managing
Underground Space for Security
• Cities should plan underground space in the
same way they plan on the surface
• Cities should know present situation
– What exists underground
– Where the features are
– What is their condition
– What are their vulnerabilities & their strengths
• Cities must plan to Deter, Delay, Detect etc.

Cost of Tunnel Security
• Large & Unknown & significantly more than capital cost
• Not previously budgeted
• Should use life-cycle methodology & include:
• Development costs
• Operational inefficiency
• Maintenance
• Upgrading & replacement
• Use Risk Management Methodology to Evaluate
– Cost versus benefit
– Make “What If” calculations
• Safe Haven costs
– Many of the costs should be considered as long-term “investments”

Security Summary & Conclusions(1)
• Two (2) Major Security Issues
– Protection for the Public & Facilities
• Traditional tunnels pose many security challenges
– Use of the Underground as a Safe Haven
• Safe havens provide security, not extra risks
• Threats
– Natural & accidental
– Intentional
• All types of tunnels have different security needs
– Transportation
– Water & Wastewater
– Underground space

Security Summary & Conclusions(3)
• If you want to protect or save, preserve, or
isolate something for a long time, put it
underground
• If you want to protect a lifeline from earthquakes,
weather, fire, violence, or other hazard, go out of
your way to put it underground
• Maintain Safe Havens’ security advantage

Security Summary & Conclusions(4)
• Many challenges abound
– Deter, Detect, Deny, Delay, Defend etc.
–Most challenges are also opportunities
• Need more open communications (TRB-like) and
more professional forums on security of underground
space
• Need network for sharing security issues in ways that
promote open discussions & technology transfer
– ISAC-like network
– Yet still preserves appropriate confidentiality protocols

Security Summary & Conclusions(2)
• ITA Represents the Worldwide Underground Industry
–ITA-COSUF
• Industry needs a Coordinated Tunnel Security Plan
– Identify threats & vulnerabilities
– Develop technology & operational methodology to reduce
threat & vulnerability
• Safe, Meaningful, ISAC-like sharing network
– Includes all regions and kinds of tunnels
– Share Information for Existing Facilities
– Share Future Tunnel Design Considerations
– Need several increasingly classified security levels

Security Summary & Conclusions(5)
• Tunnel security industry should embrace risk
management methodology
– Systematic using Risk Registers
– Puts security risks in context with other risks
– Use for opportunities as well as risks
•Use Life Cycle Cost Methodology
– Safe Havens are security investments, not costs

Security Summary & Conclusions(6)
• Major development issues include:
– Traditional risks and challenges
•C,B,R
• Flooding
– Urgent need
– Accidental & intentional
– Global warming
– Non-technical programs, documentation & training
• As Constructed Reports, Asset management & BIM
• Technology Transfer Essential & Rewarding
– Be bold and visionary
• Underground industry is very strong and can
respond to any and all security needs

Thank You and Good Luck
(Source: Apollo 17)