Lieutenant Commander Stephen R. Melvin, USN is a “senior professional engineer with over 15 years developing and leading a broad spectrum of projects, including development of Risk Management Programs (including Process Safety Information, Process Hazards Analyses/Hazard Reviews, Offsite Consequence Analyses, etc.) and security vulnerability assessments for facilities throughout California. He was the Fire Safety Engineer for the Orange County Fire Authority’s Hazardous Materials Services Section and served as the co-chair for the Administering Agency Subcommittee of the Local Emergency Planning Committee (Region I). Stephen R. Melvin currently serves as the Homeland Security Representative to the Local Emergency Planning Committee (Region VI) (the only LEPC in the US to provide comments on DHS' proposed Chemical Facility Security Vulnerability Assessment Regulations) and is an active member of both the FBI's Infragard Program (Los Angeles and San Diego Chapters) and the Orange County Private Sector Terrorism Response Group.

Lieutenant Commander Stephen R. Melvin was instrumental in Sandia National Laboratories development of their Chemical Facility Vulnerability Assessment Methodology and has been reviewing the anti-terrorism portions of risk management plans for chemical facilities since 1999.” Lieutenant Commander Stephen R. Melvin is a Lieutenant Commander in the Naval Reserve and the author of Keeping Our Neighborhoods Safe and Keeping our Chemical Facilities Safe.

According to the book description of Keeping Our Chemical Facilities Safe, “Know your process backwards and forwards, but don't know a thing about security? Know security like the back of your hand, but don't know chemicals? Worried that DHS might throw you a curve ball with the new regulations? Let Stephen R. Melvin and Bill Benson guide you through your Security Vulnerability Assessment! From two of the industry's leading experts in Chemical Facility Vulnerability Assessments comes this breakthrough book to help you implement the US Department of Homeland Security's Chemical Facility Antiterrorism Standards required under the recently published regulations. This book will take you on a step-by-step journey from starting the process to a complete and comprehensive Vulnerability Assessment/Site Security Plan, with the bonus that your facility will be in compliance with the regulations! Author Bio: Stephen R. Melvin, PE CSP CPP, and William R. Benson began developing methodologies for performing Vulnerability Assessments on Chemical Facilities in 1997. Their work was included in Sandia National Labs' original methodology for performing these Vulnerability Assessments. They have completed numerous VAs on complicated facilities ranging throughout the state of California, and a comparable number of Emergency Response Plans. Between their expertise, and their "no-nonsense" approach to implementing the regulations, this book should be able to easily guide you through your own processes and help you bring your facility into full compliance with the new regulations.”

According to the book description of Keeping Our Neighborhoods Safe, “The only book designed to make anti-terrorism accessible to everyone, this book is unique. It puts anti-terrorism concepts into everyday language, such as Mr. Melvin's "virus" theory of terrorists, and gives the busy person resources to get more information at their own pace. This book informs the public where to get information on preparing their families for an incident, what to do if an incident occurs, and how to recover from an attack. It includes information on sheltering in place, evacuations, and even tells the reader what to expect from a decontamination process. Keeping Our Neighborhoods Safe addresses what the public needs to do if they are caught in a chemical, biological and radiological events. Reviewed by law enforcement, emergency response agencies, and even elected officials, this book is a "must-own" for any citizen who wants to be prepared for the next incident.”

One reader of Keeping Our Neighborhoods Safe said, “Mr. Melvin, an expert and a consultant in anti-terrorism planning and continuity, neatly explains to the average citizen how we can all be prepared for upcoming threats. This should be read by every adult, and then explained to every child.”