Ron Crum

Ron Crum currently serves URS Corporation in their Baton Rouge, Louisiana offices in the position of Vice President - Petrochemicals.

After Sept 11, Ron began a study of the security issues associated with his client's facilities.  At that time, Ron began working across URS with other staff within URS' Homeland Security (HLS) Team focusing on projects to increase security at various airports, petrochemical facilities, postal facilities, military bases and other components critical to our national infrastructure.  

URS’ HLS Team designed/developed large portions of the security system at Denver International Airport, Dallas/Ft. Worth and other airports.  We were also called in to assist the US Post Office with their Anthrax recovery.  And we have been helping the US military secure their bases since 9-11.  Our receipt of another nice Homeland Security contract for $3.1 billion for base security last year for further assistance to the US military will further hone our skills in the Homeland Security arena.

Ron has been an invited speaker on a variety of issues at many national forums including numerous talks at API, NPRA and ACC conferences.  Ron, with 28 years of experience in the environmental field and a degree in Mechanical Engineering (the most noble of all professions) from LSU, currently manages projects for many of URS’ large refining and petrochemical clients in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas.

In his spare time, Ron serves the Baton Rouge community through several non-profit organizations focused on improving the lives of the indigent.  Currently, he is intimately involved in the development and support of multiple technology-centers in some of Louisiana’s most impoverished communities.  The aim of these centers is to train the poor and other affected individuals in the use of computers in an effort to eliminate, in some small way, the ever-widening “digital divide.”

Ron and his wife of 24 years (and as long into the future as she will have him), Patti, have two children: their son, Cory (22, a recent Honors graduate from LSU) and their daughter, Kirby (20, a Junior at LSU.)

Homeland Security within the Refining and Chemical Industries

Mr. Crum will discuss the current security situation within the refining and petrochemical industries.  His talk will focus on what has transpired since September 11 and give an update as to the current situation.   A recent Brookings Institute report ranked chemical facilities third in the number of fatalities that could occur from a terrorist attack while the US Army Surgeon General ranked chemical plants second only to Bio-terrorism.  Clearly, the situation is serious and the chemical and refining industries are not taking it lightly.

In his talk, Mr. Crum will discuss the various approaches companies have taken with respect to identifying deficiencies in their security systems via their Security Vulnerability Assessments (SVA) and, later in the talk, their approaches to correction of any deficiencies found.

Protecting a facility against the innumerable pathways available to a well-organized and motivated terrorist (or disgruntled employee) is not feasible. There are too many avenues of attack and the total costs to secure any facility are prohibitive.   The key question to be addressed is not "What level of protection does a facility need?" but rather, "Whatlevel of protection can the facility afford?"   And, following that question, "How can a facility prioritize spending to attain the highest level of protection?"