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SCP-408 Safe ~ medium confidence
SCP-408
Expected annual
$723K
One-time setup
$472K
Annual recurring
$712K
Personnel
8
One-time capital costs are modest-to-moderate (~$472k) dominated by initial transport and construction; recurring annual costs (~$712k/yr) are driven largely by personnel (technicians, researcher, and security) and contingency/security staffing.
🏗️ One-Time Capital Costs Total: $472K
Capture Transport And Quarantine $250K
[#9] Initial capture, field ops, custom transport crates, charter flights, quarantine, veterinary checks, and permits from discovery (Brazil) to Site 17.
Facilities $104K
[#1, #24] Includes custom mesh aviary construction (frame, insect‑tight mesh, airlock, viewing panels, access) and a small modular isolation/quarantine unit for removed swarm segments.
Equipment $91K
[#2, #3, #13, #15, #17, #18, #8] Environmental control hardware (HVAC/humidifiers/LED), monitoring & datalogger setup, secondary containment/capture aids, high‑resolution cameras/imaging hardware, UPS/backup power, initial PPE and related one‑time equipment; also covers security-related equipment noted in #8.
Initial Research And Lab Setup $22K
[#10] Veterinary/entomology equipment, stereomicroscopes, lab benches, rearing chambers and basic research lab instruments.
Cover Story Setup $4K
[#20] Small one-time setup for cover story/permit/legal initial expenses as noted.
🔄 Annual Recurring Costs Total: $712K/yr
Staff Wages $549K/yr
[#6, #7, #8] Staffing: 3FTE Level‑2 technicians (maintenance, feeding, daily checks) and 1 FTE researcher plus ~4 FTE equivalent pro‑rated security staffing (benefits/overhead included).
Insurance And Contingency $50K/yr
[#22] Annual allocation to an internal insurance/contingency fund for rare but costly incidents (repairs, temporary relocation, liability).
Administrative Overhead $35K/yr
[#25] Pro‑rated share of site management, utilities, HR, and administrative overhead.
Emergency Preparedness $20K/yr
[#14] On‑call response team, drills, PPE training, and incident response procedure development.
Research And Monitoring $14K/yr
[#11] Ongoing research consumables (slides, reagents, sample storage, tags) and small capital replacements for behavioral/communication studies.
Facilities Maintenance $10K/yr
[#12] Mesh/net repair and structural maintenance reserve for the aviary (repairs, contractor labor).
Cover Story And Legal $10K/yr
[#20] Recurring permits, legal fees, and public relations / cover story maintenance.
Energy $6K/yr
[#4] Electricity to run HVAC, lighting, humidifiers for continuous environmental control.
Training And Professional Development $5K/yr
[#23] Ongoing training in lepidoptery methods, safety, and communication protocols.
Supplies And Consumables $4K/yr
[#5, #18, #19] Feeders and sugar solution consumables, ongoing PPE replacements, and waste handling/biological disposal contracts.
It Security $4K/yr
[#16] IT security, encrypted backups, intrusion detection, and secure telemetry backups to Site 17.
Psychological Support $3K/yr
[#21] Counseling and psychological support for staff exposed to traumatic mimicry events.
Imaging Software Maintenance $2K/yr
[#15] Software maintenance and support for pattern‑to‑text analysis and imaging systems.
Data Storage Bandwidth $1K/yr
[#3] Ongoing bandwidth and offsite storage costs for environmental logs and telemetry.
Backup Power Maintenance $750/yr
[#17] Maintenance for UPS and generator hookups that support environmental controls.
Logistics And Transport $0/yr
[]
⚡ Cost Scenarios
📊 Baseline (baseline) $712K/yr
88.0% probability / year
Normal operational year with routine maintenance, staffing, and research activity.
routine_operations scheduled_maintenance
🚨 Minor Incident $762K/yr
10.0% probability / year +$50K vs baseline
Localized mesh damage or equipment failure leading to temporary escape/response and repair.
mesh_tear localized_escape equipment_failure
🚨 Major Breach $1.0M/yr
2.0% probability / year +$300K vs baseline
Significant containment failure or extended escape requiring facility lockdown, large repairs, legal action, and possible temporary relocation/replacement.
large_scale_escape facility_lockdown legal_liability
👥 Personnel 8 total
Role Count Notes
Biological Technician / Level-2 3 [#6] Hands-on maintenance, feeding, humidity logging, daily checks; 3 FTE recommended.
Research Scientist 1 [#7] Full-time researcher to supervise experiments, communication, documentation.
Security Officer / MTF Agent 4 [#8] Pro-rated security staffing (4 FTE equivalents) for monitoring, access control, and response.
📋 Confidence Notes
Estimates are based on analyst ranges in notes and the SCP description; major uncertainties are initial capture costs, exact staffing model, and frequency/severity of containment incidents, so totals are order-of-magnitude reliable but variable.
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