Certification for building security professionals

The Building Security Council (BSC) established a new Building Security Certified Professional (BSCP) certification. The certification, which addresses the security of buildings against the threat of terrorism, public safety, and building security, debuts during a two-day seminar (Nov. 27 and 28) that provides 13 professional development hours in key building security knowledge areas. The first BSCP examination will be administered on Nov. 29.

"Design professionals need more knowledge about security, and security professionals need more knowledge about design," said Stan R. Caldwell, P.E., F.ASCE, F.AEI, president, BSC. "The Building Security Certification Program will foster greater collaboration between these two communities and encourage a multidisciplinary approach that integrates security across all phases of a building’s lifecycle: planning, design, construction, and operation."

BSCPs will be individuals who are licensed to practice engineering, architecture, or landscape architecture in a United States jurisdiction or who possess the ASIS International CPP or PSP credential. BSCPs will also have broad knowledge and understanding of security considerations and can address them effectively in the integrated planning, design, construction, operation, and risk assessment of buildings. In particular, the BSCP will be familiar with the building classification and field evaluation procedures described in the BSC Building Security Rating System, and will have the expertise to apply them within the context of a multidisciplinary team.

The BSCP examination will include the following key domains and tasks of building
security:

• Project process-Coordinating with a multidisciplinary team to implement building security using an integrated risk-management approach and applying appropriate security guidelines and strategies in a manner consistent with applicable codes and standards to achieve stakeholder objectives;
• Risk assessment-Determining the value of a building, its occupants, and other assets to stakeholder missions to establish the appropriate level of protection and associated performance criteria, as well as conceptualizing potential vulnerabilities and their interrelationships to propose effective risk-mitigation alternatives;
• Site considerations-Determining the achievable standoff distance between a building and any potential locations of identified threats within or outside the property line to facilitate analysis of the corresponding effects, and establishing a secure perimeter that will control vehicle and/or pedestrian access and circulation to enforce standoff distances;
• Building envelope-Determining glazing characteristics to facilitate evaluation of vulnerability to identified threats and to locating all penetrations through the building exterior enclosure to determine and mitigate vulnerabilities to identified threats;
• Interior space-Evaluating personnel and service-circulation routes and systems to address security and life-safety considerations, such as controlled ingress/egress and shelter-in-place, and evaluating interior utility infrastructure for redundancy, reliability and vulnerability to address mission, security and life-safety considerations; and
• Facility operations-Reviewing building maintenance plan and practices to determine adequacy for supporting life-safety and security operations, as well as evaluating emergency plans to verify adequacy in addressing mission, security, and life-safety considerations.

The BSCP program is designed to advance comprehensive, multidisciplinary knowledge to address new building security concerns effectively and to demonstrate a strong commitment to professionalism through ethics and continuing professional development requirements. While the specialty certification is voluntary, according to the BSC, the credential provides recognition of advanced expertise in the building security specialty.

For additional information on the BSC and details on how to apply for BSCP certification, visit www.buildingsecuritycouncil.org/certification.html .