| Home | Information Sharing & Analysis | Prevention & Protection | Preparedness & Response | Research | Commerce & Trade | Travel Security & Procedures | Immigration |
The threat level in the airline sector is High or Orange. Read more.
Get e-mail updates when this information changes
How can the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) Partnership Model provide an opportunity for government and private-sector security partners to network and share information? One prime example is the 2008 Chemical Sector Security Summit, co-sponsored by the Chemical Sector-Specific Agency within the Department of Homeland Security Office of Infrastructure Protection (IP) and the Chemical Sector Coordinating Council (CSCC). A three-day event held in Bethesda, Md. on July 21–23, the Summit provided a forum for attendees to exchange information and ideas as well as network with other security professionals. According to Timothy Scott, Chair of the CSCC, "The Security Summit was an excellent example of the continuously improving partnership between the Department and the private sector. The information and topics were timely, and the speakers were experts in their areas."
Participation in this year's Summit matched attendance levels of the first Summit, held in June 2007, with more than 400 attendees representing a broad range of the chemical stakeholder community, including:
Almost 75% of the participants were from the private sector with Federal, State and local participants rounding out the audience.
The Summit allowed chemical industry partners the opportunity to ask specific questions about the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) regulatory process as well as gain insight into the role of different agencies and departments involved in the many facets of chemical security. Topics generating the most interest from participants included Risk-Based Performance Standards; programs created to safeguard sensitive information; and the CFATS inspection and compliance process. Smaller breakout sessions were convened in order to address selected topics in detail, for example, State and local issues, Cyber Security, and Freight Rail Security. For further information, please see the Summit Presentations page.
There were also opportunities to attend several software demonstrations. Department of Homeland Security Infrastructure Security Compliance Division (ISCD) staff was on-hand to explain the procedure for entering facility data into the Security Vulnerability Assessment (SVA) tool. The Department hopes this tool will facilitate submission of security and vulnerability data for facilities subject to preliminary CFATS regulations. Also enjoying its official launch was the Web-Based Chemical Security Awareness Training Program. This is a voluntary program using instruction modules that simulate real-world scenarios for interactive learning. It is designed to increase security awareness in chemical facilities nationwide with the potential of reaching 400,000 employees directly involved in the manufacturing, transportation, and storage of chemicals. For more information about this program, send an email to ChemicalSector@dhs.gov to request access.
Other highlights of the 2008 Summit included a Keynote Address by Department of Homeland Security National Protection & Programs Directorate (NPPD) Deputy Under Secretary Scott Charbo and a Luncheon Address by Assistant Secretary of Infrastructure Protection Robert Stephan. Both senior Department officials highlighted the successful voluntary programs that were created as a direct result of the public-private partnership and encouraged the participants to continue their efforts in the future. In closing the Summit, Assistant Secretary Stephan advised the audience to continue to support the partnership in order to demonstrate the many benefits that can be realized through a voluntary program that compliments a regulatory framework.
Questions? Contact Amy (Freireich) Graydon or Aprilgrace Aytona at ChemicalSector@dhs.gov for more information.
This page was last reviewed/modified on September 15, 2008.
Print this page
Share this page
Email Updates
Subscribe to Feeds