SCP-1618 Safe ~ medium confidence
SCP-1618
Expected annual
$1.6M
One-time setup
$584K
Annual recurring
$1.6M
Personnel
11
Initial setup and containment infrastructure are moderate (~$584k one-time) while annual recurring program costs are driven by staff (security and research), medical/radiological readiness, legal/cover operations, and contingency reserves (~$1.55M/yr). Testing frequency and accidental activations are the primary cost drivers.
🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $584K
Facilities $434K
[#1, #3, #15, #19, #21, #22, #23, #24] Includes safe modifications and sleeve/plumbing isolation (#1), test-polygon land purchase/initial clearing (#3), one-time major relocation/compensation setup if required (#15), initial SOP development and documentation (#19), establishment of contingency/reserve fund (#21), archival systems hardware/setup (#22), initial environmental impact study (#23), and bespoke containment stand/plumbing (#24).
Equipment $75K
[#4, #12, #14, #16] Includes transport crate and fittings (#4), radiological detectors/dosimeters and portable monitors (#12), initial remote monitoring and hardened telemetry hardware (#14), and assay/smelting / sample-prep equipment (#16).
On Site Or Setup $40K
[#8] One-time costs to contract/setup an on-site OR or private hospital standby infrastructure if chosen (retainers, infrastructure modifications).
Initial Research And Lab Setup $35K
[#17] Initial characterization campaign, lab instrumentation, and consumables for baseline forensic/materials testing.
🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $1.6M/yr
Staff Wages $770K/yr
[#5, #6, #12] Salaries and benefits for dedicated security team (6 guards), senior researcher and 2 lab techs, and Radsafety officer salary share.
Accidental Activation Reserve $250K/yr
[#26] Insurance/escrow reserve to cover accidental activations outside controlled zones, property replacement, medical liabilities and public compensation.
Cover Story And Legal $175K/yr
[#18, #15, #26] Legal retainers and contingency for cover-story/OPSEC operations and per-incident cover costs; also budgeted to address civilian compensation and legal contingency (#15, #26).
Facilities Maintenance $54K/yr
[#2, #3, #14, #22] Site overhead allocation, test-polygon maintenance and perimeter security, remote-monitoring system maintenance, and archive/system maintenance.
Contingency Replenishment $50K/yr
[#21] Annual replenishment of contingency/reserve fund for atypical transformations and unplanned liabilities.
Logistics And Transport $39K/yr
[#4, #7, #15] Armored transport and escort costs per move (#4), D-class provisioning/transport/administrative fees per test (#7), and moving/storing in-house assets per-test (#15).
Medical Retainer And Per Test $37K/yr
[#8] On-call surgical team retainers, reserved OR standby fees, per-test standby charges and rapid-transfer agreements (does not include emergent surgery costs if they occur).
Biohazard Cleanup $34K/yr
[#10] Recurring per-test HAZMAT cleanup, waste transport and licensed disposal, decontamination and replacement of contaminated equipment/clothing.
Research And Monitoring $27K/yr
[#12, #13, #17, #14] Ongoing per-test forensic/lab analyses and sample runs (#17), radiological consumables and dosimetry per-test (#12), redundancy/hardened-systems maintenance (#13), and telemetry/hardened-repeater upkeep (#14).
Supplies And Consumables $25K/yr
[#9, #13, #25] Medical supplies/PPE and surgical consumables (#9), expendable within-EoE sensors and expendables (#13), and per-test operational consumables (caps, covers, simulants) (#25).
Environmental Remediation Fund $20K/yr
[#23] Ongoing budget for environmental monitoring, permits, and potential remediation actions after tests.
Veterinary Animal Control $18K/yr
[#11] Animal control, capture/quarantine, veterinary screening and ecological mitigation following avian/animal transformations.
Gold Vaulting And Processing $15K/yr
[#16] Secure vaulting, assay/processing fees and accounting overhead for anomalous gold handling and occasional outsourcing fees.
Psychological Care $15K/yr
[#20] Counseling, PTSD monitoring, and ongoing psychological care program for staff and D-class subjects.
Training And Drills $12K/yr
[#19] Recurrent training, SOP refreshers, drills (medical, radsafety, animal control, transport exercises).
Ethical Review And Audits $12K/yr
[#27] External ethical review board retainers and periodic independent audits of protocols and compliance.
Cost Scenarios
📊 Baseline (baseline) $1.6M/yr
94.0% probability / year
Normal year with infrequent testing (assumed ~4 tests) and no major incidents; baseline recurring program costs only.
routine_testing_schedule no_accidents_or_public_exposure
🚨 Minor Incident $1.8M/yr
5.0% probability / year +$200K vs baseline
Localized accidental activation or test complication requiring emergent surgery, larger-than-expected cleanup, legal/cover operations, and modest remediation.
unexpected_surgery localized_public_activation large_contamination_patch
🚨 Major Breach $4.1M/yr
1.0% probability / year +$2.5M vs baseline
Significant accidental activation in a populated area or radiological conversion event leading to mass medical treatment, large-scale remediation, forensic pathology, and major public-exposure coverup.
transit_accidental_activation depleted_fuel_rod_conversion widespread_public_exposure
👥 Personnel 11 total
Role Count Notes
Security Officer / MTF Agent 6 [#5] Dedicated guards to secure storage, transport escorts, and test perimeter (rotation/backfill included).
Research Scientist 1 [#6] Senior researcher with 2/1618 clearance to approve experiments and oversight.
Research Technician 2 [#6, #17] Lab technicians for instrumentation, sample handling, and data collection.
Radsafety Officer 1 [#12] Radiation safety oversight, dosimetry program management and training.
Administrative Staff 1 [#2, #22] Archive/admin support for records, anomaly accounting, logistics and facility coordination.
📋 Confidence Notes
Analyst notes provide detailed line items and ranges; many per-test costs depend on uncertain test frequency and the low-probability high-impact nature of accidental activations, producing moderate confidence in annual estimates.
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