Security Concerns at Forest Service Facilities

The examples of security concerns listed below are not exhaustive. Many security concerns will never appear at some facilities, while some concerns that are not listed may appear with alarming frequency. If you’re the victim, a concern that appears just once is alarming. The list is intended to help Forest Service employees realize that security concerns can take many forms.

• Violence, exploitation, and harassment directed against Forest Service employees, visitors, contractors, and vendors on Forest Service property. For example:
  
  
  • Domestic violence and workplace violence on Forest Service property.
  • Stalking.
  • Marches and demonstrations at Forest Service facilities.
    
    
• Theft from Forest Service property, whether or not the items or information belong to the Forest Service.
  
  
• Sabotage on Forest Service property, whether or not the items sabotaged belong to the Forest Service. Examples of sabotage include:
  
  
  • Actions that make a Forest Service aircraft no longer airworthy.
  • Destroying a Forest Service mountaintop radio site.
  • Burning down a Forest Service office.
  • Trashing a Forest Service Internet server.
    
    
• Vandalism on Forest Service property, whether or not the items vandalized belong to the Forest Service.
  
  
• Delivery of destructive devices (bombs; incendiary devices; and chemical, biological, and radiological agents) to Forest Service facilities.
  
  
• Credible threats directed at Forest Service facilities and their occupants.
  
  
• Natural and manmade disasters.
  
  
• Prolonged and unexpected business interruptions.
  
  
• Compromises of cargo, small parcels, and mail delivery. For example:
  
  
  • A suspicious package or mysterious powder in the mailroom can shut down business activity until it has been resolved. In some instances, it may force evacuation of the facility for an unacceptably long time.
    
    
• Prolonged and unexpected interruption or contamination of utilities and ancillary services (electricity, water, sewer, natural gas, telecommunications, food, and fuel) to a Forest Service facility.
  
  
• Access to Forest Service items on the property that an unauthorized person could exploit. For example:
  
  
  • An underground gasoline storage tank used to fuel Forest Service vehicles.
    
    
  • Forest Service vehicles left unlocked with keys in the ignition.
    
    
• Construction methods and materials that create vulnerabilities. For example:
  
  
  • Relying on chain-link fences to keep attackers off the property.
    
    
  • Improper installation of door and locking hardware, allowing an attacker to bypass the latchbolt and lock easily.
    
    
  • Using building materials and glazing that do not have meaningful resistance to attack by handtools.
    
    
  • Suspended ceilings that provide interior access between secured and unsecured areas.
    
    
  • Gypsum board walls that can be breached easily with a $2 drywall saw.
    
    
• Conveniences that compromise security. For example:
  
  
  • Having one key that fits all Forest Service padlocks.
    
    
  • Using predictable or standardized alarm codes or electronic gate control codes.
    
    
• Employees at all levels and pay grades being unaware of or indifferent toward security, exhibiting the attitude that: “It’s not my job; let someone else handle it.”
  
  
• Failure to anticipate reasonable security issues and prepare accordingly.