Question of the Month: Why does everyone wait until an event happens to them to add security? - by Doug Haines

We see the headlines all the time, “additional school security called for by parents;” “police harden bicycle path after truck mows down cyclists.”  The headlines cover these phenomena almost daily. Today was no exception.  Google said earlier today that it would boost security at YouTube offices worldwide after the recent shooting at the video platforms headquarters this week. They went on to say via Twitter, that the event was “shocking and disturbing.”

Really? This kind of rhetoric makes me want to vomit. 

A few years back, a “freak” snowstorm paralyzed Atlanta. How can that be? When questioned, city officials responded, “We never thought that it would happen here.” This line of thought or logic is exactly the reason catastrophic events occur. Most events will not overload available resources, they’ll fall within the conventional category and are usually adequately prepared for by local authorities; i.e., enough material, equipment, manpower is stockpiled to enable local officials to deal sufficiently with the event and return the neighborhood to normal daily life in very short order. But sometimes, events are so rare or so ginormous that they immediately overwhelm available resources. These events are sometimes called, “black swans” or “unconventional events”1.

Keeping people safe is about risk management and there are two philosophies or lines of thought. One follows the idea that the event will be small or common enough that I’ll be able to handle it because I’ve planned for it or dealt with it before. Most decision makers follow this line of thought because they have limited resources and after all, let’s face it, I can’t fix everything nor is it highly likely to occur. For these two reasons, they deal with whatever threat scenario is most likely to occur because of limited2 resources and leave the “in the too hard to do block” scenarios for whomever it is that replaces them. 

The other train of thought is what I call “Impact Centric Planning” (ICP). In other words, I will address the impact of the threat scenario based on its potential for a catastrophic outcome. In order to deal with the unconventional I must first admit that the scenario is possible although unlikely (Las Vegas shooting for example) and that I won’t be able to handle it if it does.

In fact, I did a presentation on ICP at the 2013 ISC-East Security Conference, as part of the Security Industry Association’s (SIA) education program at the Javits Center in New York City which was called OMG – It Happened on My Watch! Planning for Low Probability – High Impact Events3. During that session, I spoke about continually assessing events that happen around the world. Those in charge, should ask “Can that happen here?” and if the answer is “Yes. Am I ready to deal with it?” 

When the Sandy Hook shooting occurred, everyone in a decision making capacity and not just education administrators should have reviewed their entire security plan and asked those two questions. When the Navy Yard or Aurora theater shootings occurred another review should have occurred by everyone who’s responsible for someone else’s safety. And now, that the YouTube office complex has seen a shooting event, shouldn’t those responsible everywhere be asking the question, “Could that happen here and am I ready to keep the effects to a minimum?”

If the answer is, “No,” then you need to get to work – lives, including your own or those you sincerely care about may depend on it. I sure hope the people responsible for my family’s safety at their workplace takes this approach and are doing everything they can.

While we may not be able to prevent an unwanted event from occurring we can certainly reduce its effects on personnel and facilities by what we do today.

Footnotes:

1. Leadership During Unconventional Crisis, Dr. Erwan Lagadec

2. Survival: How Being Prepared Can Keep You and Your Family Safe, LTG?USA Ret, Russell Honore

3. Send an email via our homepage https://www.hainessecuritysolutions.com and we’ll send you a copy

Doug Haines, MPSE, is owner/CEO of Haines Security Solutions, Ventura, Calif.