Meeting Facilitation Guide
Meeting Facilitation Guide
Instructions: This facilitation guide can be used to start group discussions about critical infrastructure functions and dependencies. The recommended group size is four to eight people. The output can inform facility priorities, plans, or project funding proposals to reduce risk to the community or region. The discussion can be enhanced with a map of systems, including those that cross boundaries. The participation of utility owners and operators can be especially valuable during this process as they often have a deep understanding of their dependencies and risks to their systems. This guide also includes a participant handout which illustrates the types of critical functions that depend on infrastructure systems.
| Duration (30 mins) | Topic/Question | Facilitation Guidance | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 min |
Function/service impact: What are the essential facilities and the functions they provide within the community or region? |
|
List identified functions (on chart below) |
| 5 min |
Dependencies: What infrastructure systems/services are needed to carry out this function or enable the facility to operate? |
|
(on chart below)
|
| 5 min |
Dependencies: What other facilities or systems depend on this function for their own operation? |
|
Add 3 ideas to downstream side of diagram 
|
| 10 min |
Prioritization: Given this short discussion, which facilities, systems, or services are most critical to reducing the impact of future hazards on the community? Planning and Implementation: Are there any new ideas for mitigation projects that have occurred to you (public or private actions)?* |
|
|
| *Some critical systems or facilities are likely privately owned or under another agency's authority. What other parties should be involved if you are planning to mitigate risk to infrastructure? | |||
Handout
Critical Facilities with Essential Functions
|
|
|
Lifeline Infrastructure Systems/Services
| Energy | |
|---|---|
| Electric power | substations, transmission lines, generation facility |
| Natural gas | pipelines, storage, extraction facility |
| Fuel | distribution station, storage, production facility |
| Communications | |
|---|---|
| Phone | cell towers, phone lines (aerial or buried) |
| Internet | cables (aerial or buried), routers |
| SCADA/Industrial Control System | |
| Transportation | |
|---|---|
| Road | highways, bridges |
| Rail | rail lines, stations/hubs, railyards |
| Maritime | ports, rivers |
| Airports | |
| Water/Wastewater | |
|---|---|
| Water | treatment plants, pump stations, storage tanks, pipelines |
| Wastewater | treatment plants, lift stations, sewer lines |
Dependency Thinking
What is this dependent on — What services/systems are needed to enable the critical facility to carry out its essential function?
What depends on this — What other facilities depend upon the critical facility for their own operation?