Free Vulnerability Assessment Software

The Department of Energy Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) offers resources for the emergency Services Sector (ESS), including one of interest to emergency managers and personnel tasked to reduce the likelihood of chemical, biological, and radiological (CBR) attacks against buildings and mitigate the severity of such attacks against their occupants. The information emergency personnel and building managers need to determine key vulnerabilities and implement mitigation strategies for buildings often is targeted to technical consultants and design professionals. LBNL has developed the Building Vulnerability Assessment and Mitigation Program (BVAMP), a free software tool to improve emergency preparedness, plan shelter-in-place responses, restrict access to building systems and information, and develop building system control protocols for use during a deliberate CBR release. The BVAMP tool is a series of yes/no questions about four aspects of a building's vulnerability—emergency response plan, building access, heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and HVAC controls—appropriate for small- to medium-sized releases such as those that would be expected from a terrorist attack. After the questions in each section are answered, BVAMP assembles an advice report. Included with the BVAMP tool are a building vulnerability assessment walk-through questionnaire and a list of the questions used in the tool itself. Article found on the IAFC Homeland Protection & Security Weekly Newsletter Analyst Note: To examine the BVAMP tool, go to http://securebuildings.lbl.gov/BVAMP.html and select "Buildings" under VulnerabilityAssessment.