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SCP-2179 Safe ~ medium confidence
SCP-2179
Expected annual
$2.1M
One-time setup
$3.6M
Annual recurring
$2.1M
Personnel
15
Upfront setup and optional aviation purchase drive one-time costs (~$3.65M), while ongoing personnel, Site-18 overhead, liaison/legal, and readiness (forward detachment) dominate recurring annual costs (~$2.10M).
🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $3.6M
Equipment $1.7M
[#4, #10, #11, #12, #14, #18, #25, #5] Two response vehicles, backup generator/UPS, automated alerting hardware, IT/server hardware, field kits, covert sensor installation, archive/evidence cases. Includes optional helicopter purchase noted here as a line item.
Helicopter Purchase $1.2M
[#5] Optional helicopter purchase (listed as optional capital alternative).
Contingency Reserve $500K
[#24] Contingency rapid-reinforcement fund for escalations requiring additional MTFs, aircraft, evacuation, cover operations.
Initial Research And Lab Setup $100K
[#19] Lab equipment / forensic analysis bench initial purchase.
Facilities $75K
[#3, #9] Safehouse fit-out and observation-chamber/environmental control fit-out ($50,000 + $25,000).
Major Repair Reserve $50K
[#8] Reserve for rare major repairs / custom spare-part fabrication.
Rare Parts Fund $20K
[#27] One-time seed fund for long-term preservation / rare parts machining.
Ticker Tape Initial Stock $11K
[#6] Initial multi-year stockpile of custom ticker-tape rolls (50 rolls midpoint).
🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $2.1M/yr
Staff Wages $1.0M/yr
[#1, #2, #16, #19] 6x watchstanders (24/7) $270,000/yr, 6x forward-response operators $480,000/yr, 1x liaison $90,000/yr, 1–2 research staff combined (modeled as $185,000/yr).
Cover Story And Legal $250K/yr
[#16, #17, #22] Legal retainer and cover coordination ($50,000/yr), cover/misc ($50,000/yr), cooperative reimbursements/goodwill to local agencies ($100,000/yr), PR/FOIA mitigation ($50,000/yr).
Facilities Maintenance $228K/yr
[#3, #9, #10, #13] Safehouse lease ($24,000/yr), observation-chamber utilities/maintenance ($2,000/yr), backup power fuel/maintenance (~$1,500/yr), Site-18 pro rata overhead allocation ($200,000/yr).
Research And Monitoring $150K/yr
[#19] Per-event forensic/research consumables and analysis (modeled at $150,000/yr based on per-event consumable range and assumed event frequency).
Logistics And Transport $150K/yr
[#4, #5, #21] Vehicle maintenance/fuel/insurance ($40,000/yr), optional helicopter standby/availability ($100,000/yr midpoint for standby contract), per-dispatch operational costs (~$10,000/yr).
Liability Reserve $100K/yr
[#23] Annual reserve for potential civilian compensation, property damage, or legal exposure.
Training And Drills $75K/yr
[#15] Training, readiness drills and joint exercises with local agencies (midpoint $75k/yr).
Medical Support $60K/yr
[#20] Emergency medical support: contracted medics/coverage (~$30–80k/yr midpoint) plus supplies (~$5k/yr).
Artifact Conservation $15K/yr
[#7] Antique device conservation & routine maintenance for 1927 bell/ticker ($10–20k/yr; midpoint used).
Field Equipment Replacement $15K/yr
[#14] Replacement/upgrades for forward detachment personal kit and field equipment (~$15,000/yr).
Supplies And Consumables $13K/yr
[#6, #26] Ticker-tape replacement consumables ($3,000/yr midpoint) and small operational consumables ($10,000/yr).
Covert Sensor Monitoring $10K/yr
[#18] Monitoring and maintenance for optional covert/backup sensors around Zone 2179.
Communications Hosting $5K/yr
[#11] Hosting/maintenance for automated alerting & secure communications integration.
Archival Storage $3K/yr
[#25] Climate-controlled archival storage for tape and evidence ($3,000/yr).
It Hosting $3K/yr
[#12] Hosting/maintenance for IT, storage, backups, and incident-logging systems.
Rare Parts Maintenance $2K/yr
[#27] Small ongoing fund for parts machining / preservation ($2,000/yr).
⚡ Cost Scenarios
📊 Baseline (baseline) $2.1M/yr
70.0% probability / year
Normal uneventful year with routine monitoring, forward detachment readiness, and scheduled maintenance only.
no major repairs no aviation activation routine event frequency
🚨 Minor Incident $2.1M/yr
15.0% probability / year +$25K vs baseline
One or more minor incidents requiring extra forensic work, overtime, small additional consumables, and coordination with local agencies.
multiple small 2179-A events increased forensic analysis additional overtime
🚨 Major Repair $2.2M/yr
10.0% probability / year +$70K vs baseline
A rare but expensive failure of the 1927 mechanism requiring major custom fabrication, extended conservator work, and potential equipment downtime.
failure of historical bell or ticker component major custom machining required
🚨 Helicopter Activation $2.3M/yr
5.0% probability / year +$200K vs baseline
Operational posture requires aviation support (charter/activation) for guaranteed 10-minute response or heavy helicopter usage for multiple incidents.
ground response unable to meet 10-minute requirement extensive helicopter charter hours
👥 Personnel 15 total
Role Count Notes
Security Watchstander 6 [#1] 2 watchstanders per shift × 3 shifts = 6 FTEs for continuous monitoring.
Security Officer / MTF Agent 6 [#2] Forward rapid-response detachment: 6trained operators permanently based near Zone 2179.
Liaison Officer / Administrative 1 [#16] 1 FTE liaison to coordinate with Leicestershire Police/MoD and manage MOUs.
Research Scientist 2 [#19] 1–2 research staff dedicated to forensic analysis and incident research (modeled as 2 here).
📋 Confidence Notes
Line-item cost estimates are order-of-magnitude midpoints where ranges were provided; personnel and Site-18 overhead are well-specified but event frequency, optional aviation posture, and existing Site-18 assets introduce uncertainty.
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