Critical Facilities

Among the most urgent and important assets within the community are critical facilities. The community will be able to make better decisions about how to expend resources to protect critical facilities as a result of this type of assessment. Critical facilities include the following:

• Essential facilities for the health and welfare of the whole population (e.g., hospitals, police and fire stations, emergency operations centers, evacuation shelters, and schools).
• Transportation systems, including airways, highways, railways, and waterways.
• Lifeline utility systems, such as potable water, wastewater, oil, natural gas, electric power, and communication systems.
• High potential loss facilities, such as nuclear power plants, dams, and military installations.
• Hazardous material facilities, producing industrial/hazardous materials (e.g., corrosives, explosives, flammable materials, radioactive materials, and toxins).