Critical Infrastructure: American Subway - Coursework Example

Critical Infrastructure: American SubwayThe subway is one of Americas key transportation infrastructure that has a significant impact on the economy. The subway provides cheap and reliable transport to American citizens. It provides transport to people living away from the city with regular and fast transport in and out of the city. The main aim of a terrorism threat is to instill fear into the people. Any terror threat on the subway would affect the economy directly through reduction of productivity.

A threat on the subway may be in the form of explosive devises placed on the rails or the trains. This would cause a fatal accident for the passengers and the people adjacent the train at the time of the explosion. The attack on the subway in the form of explosive devices placed on the train may cause it to derail and fall apart. The speed at which the train travels would be enough to increase the number of casualties on the train after it derails. In the event that the explosion occurs near buildings or towns, the derailment would increase the number of casualties.

The accident area would be under investigation for some time resulting to closure of the line for some time (Haberfeld & Von, 2009).Security problemSecurity is vital to ensure that these attacks are prevented in the future. Increasing surveillance is one way to ensure that such attacks are prevented. Increasing the number of security checks at the subway terminals is a way to ensure that all passengers are checked before boarding the train. This can be improved by installation of metal detectors and monitoring commuters on a daily basis.

Increasing the number of security personnel will deter terrorist from boarding trains while carrying explosives. A regular sweep of the train is also necessary to ensure that explosive material is detected and dealt with before it explodes (Parsons et.al. 2006).Action plan Prevention is the best cause of action, it will be attained by deploying extra security in the subway terminus and this will help reduce the security risk. It is necessary to equip the cabins with first aid equipment to ensure that survivors can receive first aid.

At the time of the attack, the best source of information is the government. Media houses may provide conflicting information, which may affect the rescue process. It is also necessary to clear the road and ensure that the victims of the attack reach a medical facility quickly (Haberfeld & Von, 2009). ProceduresIn the occurrence of a security threat, the first thing is to evacuate the people from the area, this is the duty of the security team. Evacuation of people especially onlookers is crucial to preserve the crime scene.

Paramedics should then assist get the affected from the scene. The paramedics should perform first aid and transport the injured to the nearest hospitals. The police should assist clear the roads and provide information on areas to avoid in due to traffic jams. Detectives should go to the site to collect information that will help capture the perpetrators. They should collect the evidence and take pictures of the scene to ensure that they have the details needed. A cleanup crew and a repair team will then go to the site to cleanup and repair the damage caused by the explosion.

This will ensure that the subway system is operational. This will limit the effect of the interruption on the country’s economy. ReferencesHaberfeld, M. R., & Von, H. A. (2009). A new understanding of terrorism: Case studies, trajectories and lessons learned. New York: Springer.Murakami, H., Birnbaum, A., & Gabriel, P. (2003). Underground: The Tokyo gas attack and the Japanese psyche. London: Vintage.Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Quade & Douglas., United States., United States., National Research Council (U.S.).

, National Cooperative Highway Research Program., Transit Cooperative Research Program., Transit Development Corporation., . Interactive Elements, Inc. (2006). Transportation security: Volume 12. Washington, D.C: Transportation Research Board.