Risk Assessment

Caution, this 3-part assignment will be very different than anything you have likely done. Be
sure to read the instructions very carefully. Go by the example given. Ask questions. It is
essential that you read and work ahead and view this 3-part project in its entirety.
For this assignment, you will write at minimum a 7 full-page research-oriented paper. In Part 1,
Risk Assessment: Part 1 – Vulnerability Analysis Critical Infrastructure Assignment, you
will complete the following:
1. Discuss what risk assessment, vulnerability analysis, and critical infrastructure means and
entails. Be sure to go into detail regarding key assets and their value. Also discuss:
a. Portfolio-level vs Asset-level Analysis;
b. FEMAs community perspective to mitigation etc.;
c. Defining and measuring risk; and
d. Differentiate threats and hazards.
2. Describe and analyze the role of the government and the private sector in conducting risk
assessments.
3. Describe and analyze the best practices used for critical infrastructure identification.
4. Describe and analyze the tools and techniques used to identify critical infrastructure.
There are various tools one can use. Discuss the main ones and be detailed on CARVER.
5. Discuss the use of GIS data and mapping.
6. Summarize the critical infrastructure identification process.
7. Explain how National Preparedness and Homeland Security directives affect critical
infrastructure assessment. Discuss all applicable directives in detail (To include but not
limited to: CIKR, NIPP, HSPD 7, HAS 2002, PPD 21, The Stafford Act, etc.
8. Discuss the principle of protective security and effective security countermeasures.
9. Differentiate between a pure risk assessment model and a security vulnerability analysis.
10. Provide a brief overview of your overall assessment area.
Use headings that match what is above as close as possible throughout the paper. You will
need to create a table of contents and label each section. You will also include a reference page
at the end of the paper. When you add parts 2 and 3, just add to the table of contents and existing
reference page as needed. Label each new section (Part 2 and Part 3) and start on a new page.
When you do this work, don’t think of yourself as a student. Consider your instructor the
person who has contracted you to do this work. You have been hired to do this 3-part project for
the business, agency, etc. you chose. Do not fixate or focus only on terrorism. Do this from an
“all hazards” view point.

Critical infrastructures (CI), as we know, are limited to certain things as determined by the
government. However, for this purpose you may pick places that are not on the CI list. For
instance, you may do a university campus and it may not have any CI per se. Be sure to be
comprehensive. You will be given an example which will help, but make your paper even better
than the example. Follow the example and these instructions precisely and you should be fine.

ake sure you can visit the location, or more important, make sure you can get access to
what is needed by way of the internet; because, in part 3 you will focus on one specific building,
etc. You do not have to interview anyone, but you should be able to know the details of the
location.
In the professional world/workplace, you would not do the assessment by yourself. You
would sit down with a team of people from the place you are surveying and involve them deeply
in the process. They have the knowledge that you would use to build your assessment and report.
For instance, if you were assessing a university, you might invite the campus police, security,
maintenance, IT, finance, heath, cafeteria personnel, academic leadership, etc. You would likely
have only one person from each unit.
You will be adding more to part 2—you don’t need to get rid of anything. If part 1 was not
complete, you will need to add what was missing. Think ahead to part 2 where you will focus on
your top spot (or maybe another one if you cannot get information on that one).
TIPS
 Do not bite off more than you can chew. (For example—do not do all of New York City
or any large city in its entirety).
 Make sure you can obtain enough access (information) to do an assessment.
 Though not imperative, it is more beneficial for you to physically visit the location you
have chosen. In the professional world/workplace, being able to visit the location is a
must.
 Make sure you can clearly delineate the boundaries.
 Make sure you can pull GIS information, etc.
 You will go from broad to narrow— in part 3 you will assess just 1 location out of the
larger area you started with.
 You don’t have to have what the government would call official critical infrastructures by
definition in your area.