Security & Emergency Services
A CONVERSATION WITH MIKE TORKELSON
Mike Torkelson is one of the Lab's Senior Fire Protection Engineers, providing consulting to Lab areas on fire prevention, reviewing plans, and providing hazardous materials inspections. He joined the Lab in 2014 and is a Professional Engineer with a Master of Science in Fire Protection Engineering.
He is part of the Lab's Security and Emergency Services (SES) Division. The division partners with Operations and research areas to provide site security, fire prevention, and emergency management services.
What big challenge(s) are you hoping to solve with your work in the next 20 years?
The Lab's research divisions work each day to develop scientific solutions to emerging issues in our world. The Security and Emergency Services Division (SES) provides support to maintain the safety and security of the Lab population. New scientific solutions may require evaluating and mitigating new fire and life safety hazards, as we collaborate to support the scientific mission of the Lab. Our SES mission statement highlights the need for protection, preparedness, and resiliency; each of these tenets requires that we consider the best approach to safeguard the Lab and the surrounding community. The challenge is finding the best ways to provide for a safe research environment while balancing the requirements of the applicable fire and life safety codes and standards.
What steps are you taking today to accomplish this vision?
Our division has five guiding principles that help to focus our efforts:
We embrace risk, as risk is a major aspect of our work. Managing that risk requires that we reject the norm where appropriate and develop solutions that keep the Lab safe.
Our work must be transparent and collaborative.
We serve the Lab and seek to build relationships that provide for a safe community.
These relationships require that we know our shareholders. The requirements that provide for a safe and secure environment require that SES understands the needs of our customers.
Finally, we seek to promote redundancy and scalability in our work. This allows for the greatest flexibility when unforeseen circumstances require adaptation.
Who do you partner with at the Lab to bring this vision to life?
Each member of SES provides information and guidance on safety and security matters to all members of the Berkeley Lab community. Each day, SES has the opportunity to interact with the research divisions as well as our colleagues in Operations. We work closely with our colleagues in Operations as we collectively provide service to the research areas. Concurrently, we work with members of the research community to build a safe and secure environment that provides innovative science solutions. Contact between our Division and the Lab community may include assisting with the delivery of an identification badge, training on preparedness as part of the Building Emergency Team or Community Emergency Response Team, reduction of fire risk through fire safety education, or providing assistance during an event. Through these and many other contacts, SES is able to provide information that helps to build a safe and resilient Laboratory.
Who from the past, present, or future would you like to collaborate with? And on what?
The solutions that are developed at Berkeley Lab encompass the forefront of technology. Providing for continued safety and security requires that new hazards are identified and methods for mitigation are developed. Collaborating with the research community in this process provides an amazing opportunity for SES to lead the process of implementing new approaches that will ensure the safety and security of people around the world.