What will I learn?

Agriculture and Food Vulnerability Assessment Training Course - DHS MGT 332

 

Introduction

The University of Tennessee is a training partner of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and was tasked with the development and delivery of a training course on agriculture and food vulnerability assessment to assist in the prevention and deterrence of a terrorist attack. The intended audience for this class includes: officials at the federal, state, county, and local levels, emergency responders and planners, public health, and representatives from agriculture and the food industry. The "Agriculture and Food Vulnerability Assessment Training Course" is intended to prevent and deter terrorist acts that target the agriculture and food sectors by teaching communities and industry to assess vulnerabilities and implement mitigation strategies to harden vulnerable targets. It is important that communities have the tools and training to identify their critical agriculture and food assets and to have the knowledge, capability, and tools to put measures in place at the local level to reduce those vulnerabilities.

The course will cover essential criteria that should be considered by agriculture and food facility managers and federal, state, county and local officials when assessing vulnerabilities for all sites, including farms and food processing facilities. Participants in this course will learn how to identify those facilities that would be considered at highest risk if a disaster or act of terrorism were to occur. The course will also discuss key elements to mitigate vulnerabilities that should be considered for individual high-risk facilities in order to prevent or deter the occurrence of a terrorist attack.

 

 

Course Goal & Objectives

The overall goal of this course is to assist communities and industry in preventing and deterring terrorist acts that target the agriculture and food sectors. This will be accomplished through the provision of training to assist in the identification of vulnerabilities and in the implementation of mitigation measures.

 

At the completion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Assess vulnerabilities for agricultural and food facilities on a community wide basis
• Assess vulnerabilities within agricultural and food systems as well as individual facilities
• Identify and implement possible mitigation measures to reduce vulnerabilities

 

Scope of Course

This course will introduce various assessment tools that can be used to evaluate vulnerabilities in agriculture and food systems as well as for individual facility analysis. Assessment tools that will be presented include Operational Risk Management (ORM), Systems Analysis, and CARVER plus Shock. The use of CARVER plus Shock as a practical tool for assessment and identification of critical nodes will be emphasized. Federal and industry guidelines that provide an assessment framework for individual facilities will also be discussed. The course will train participants in the application of these tools through a variety of practical exercises to stimulate problem-based learning.

 

 

Schedule

This course is divided into nine modules, including 16 instructional hours to be presented over two and a half days. The general Module schedule for course delivery is Modules 1-4 on Day 1, Modules 5-7 on Day 2, and Modules 8-9 on Day 3. The course should end by noon on Day 3.

 

 

Instructional Modules

Module 1: Course Overview and Administration of Pre-Test (1 hour): This module will cover classroom logistical issues, all administrative requirements, and delivery of the pre-test. Participants will understand the course goal, course objectives, and the importance of protecting agriculture and the food sector from acts of terrorism.

 

Module 2: Common Areas of Vulnerability for Agriculture and Food Systems and Evaluation of Facilities on a Community Wide Basis (2 hours): This module describes common areas of vulnerability for the agriculture and food supply systems and presents an approach to assist community leaders in identifying and developing relative risk rankings for agriculture and food facilities and associated infrastructure within a community.

 

Module 3: Introduction to Assessment Tools (1.5 hours): Participants will be provided an overview of assessment tools that can be used to evaluate vulnerabilities in agriculture and food systems and for individual facility analysis. The assessment tools that will be presented include Operational Risk Management (ORM), Systems Analysis - Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP), and CARVER plus Shock. Federal guidelines that can assist with assessment of individual facilities will also be discussed.

 

Module 4: Assessment of Vulnerabilities at an Agriculture Facility (2 hours): This module will provide participants with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to conduct a vulnerability assessment and site evaluation of an agricultural facility. Participants will learn methods of identification, determination, and prioritization of potential hazards, threats, and vulnerabilities of all aspects of agricultural facilities (on-site, transportation, distribution, etc.). Emphasis will be placed on evaluating an agricultural facility (animal and crop production) using the CARVER plus Shock assessment tool. Participants will be able to identify critical nodes in agriculture and crop production facilities and discuss steps to address any identified vulnerabilities.

Module 5: Assessment of Vulnerabilities at a Food Processing Facility (2.5 hours): Participants will be provided with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to conduct a vulnerability assessment of a food processing facility. Participants will learn methods of identification and prioritization of potential hazards, threats, and vulnerabilities of numerous aspects of food production/processing systems (on-site, transportation, distribution, etc.).

 

Module 6: Assessment of Vulnerabilities in the Transportation and Supply Chain (1.5 hours): Food and food ingredients are transported by many different conveyances ranging from automobiles, trucks, trains, boats, ships, barges and airplanes and each of these have complex safety issues that need to be assessed for vulnerabilities. In this module, participants will learn about the extraordinary complexities of the transportation and supply chain, and will discuss the use of methods to accurately assess any vulnerability that may be present in that chain.

 

Module 7: Developing Comprehensive Mitigation Strategies to Harden Targets (2 hours): Hardening of potential targets in the agriculture and food supply sectors is not only the best way to protect them, but can also be one of the best ways to deter an attack. In previous modules, examples of mitigation measures have been provided that can be implemented to correct some of the vulnerabilities discovered during the assessment process. This module will address the development of comprehensive mitigation strategies designed to affect deterrence and provide maximum protection.

Module 8: Practical Exercises (2.5 hours): Participants will utilize assessment skills to evaluate vulnerabilities of a simulated agricultural or food processing facility. This module is flexible and will allow local audiences to select the practical exercise they deem most relevant from a choice of four. Exercises that are available address animal facilities, food processing facilities, crop production focused on public health, and crop production focused on economic loss. All of the exercises teach the same assessment skills.

 

Module 9: Course Summary, Evaluation, and Administration of Post-Test (1 hour): A summary of the course's major teaching points will be presented. A post-test will be administered to all participants and a course evaluation will be completed.