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By Pat Moore, CBCP FBCI
We have seen innumerable accomplishments in our industry
over the past year. The Disaster Recovery Journal celebrated its 30th
conference. CPM Global Assurance began a new monthly paid subscription
newsletter. The Disaster Resource GUIDE launched the weekly Continuity
e-GUIDE. Several new periodicals focused on business continuity, homeland
security or emergency management have entered the marketplace. Public
and private sector pioneers in this field of disaster recovery, emergency
management, and business continuity management have established a host
of new initiatives. However, there still remains extensive work to be
done. The ever-increasing challenge to produce, implement, train, exercise,
fund, and resource these plans is made somewhat easier today by the growing
partnerships and connections globally within the public and private sector
organizations and individuals who are ever vigilant in this effort.
This column will attempt to provide (albeit briefly due
to space confines) the latest information highlighting those partnerships,
connections, and new regulations that are in some way contributing to
meet the challenge of protecting a nation's citizens and critical infrastructure,
as well as upholding the industry's regulations.
Business Continuity Institute
In the past year Business Continuity Institute (BCI) has published a definitive
Good Practices Guideline, launched a new Specialist certification grade,
and published (in collaboration with DRII) an updated set of certification
standards. BCI has also begun to pilot test a recertification procedure
to assure that certified members remain current in all aspects of their
professional activity. For more, visit www.thebci.org.
Canadian Centre for Emergency Preparedness
The non-profit Canadian Centre for Emergency Preparedness (CCEP) has recently
redefined its mission - to mitigate the effect of disasters on individuals
and small businesses by promoting emergency preparedness at the community
level. To bring emergency preparedness into the mainstream consciousness,
CCEP supports and promotes the best of existing programs and focuses its
efforts on awareness and promotion campaigns. CCEP also presents the World
Conference on Disaster Management, one of the largest and most respected
broad-based annual conferences covering all elements of the disaster management
spectrum. For more, visit www.ccep.ca
or www.wcdm.org.
DRI International
Recognizing the changes in the environment for continuity management and
disaster recovery, and the fact that homeland security issues and the
increasing social and economic impacts global disasters present, the DRI
International board of directors has initiated an exploratory effort to
examine the feasibility of establishing a fondation to address this new
environment. This effort will focus on both domestic and international
issues, will be cooperative, and will include the diverse organizations
and disciplines that are important to this endeavor. DRII has retained
the firm of Bullock Haddow to assist them in this effort.
Four new committees were established to assist in setting
the future direction for DRII activities and policies. The Educational
Advisory Council, chaired by Cole Emerson, MBCP, will create a vision
of the evolution of the business continuity, emer gency response, crisis
management industry over the next three to five years. The council will
focus on what the top world-class providers of education and certification
will look like and be offering within this timeframe. The Strategic Alliances
Committee, chaired by Brent Woodworth, will determine the key current
and future stakeholders among both the public and private sectors in the
evolution of the industry and map out strategies and tactics for approaching
these stakeholders and building functional partnerships with and among
them. The Legislative Affairs Committee, cochaired by Bob Goldhammer ,
CBCP, CEM and Ellis Stanley , Sr., CEM, will gain access to key state
and federal legislators and their staffs to give DRII "eyes and ears"
into the formulation of laws and regulations that impact the industry
. The International Affairs Committee, led by Graeme Jannaway , CBCP,
CISA and Benny T aylor, CBCP, will review existing international agreements
and expansion plans and monitor existing international efforts for quality
and consistency with existing DRII standards. For more, contact tmawson@drii.org.
IAEM Public/Private Partnership
Committee
The International Association of Emer gency Managers (IAEM) Public-Private
Partnership Committee is very active and well represented, and is developing
toolkits for both local emergency managers and private sector business
to learn outreach techniques that will facilitate lasting, mutually beneficial
relationships. Opportunities abound on the public-local government side
to facilitate such partnerships, such as joint efforts on Community Emergency
Response Teams (CERTs), addressing local mitigation strategies, consideration
of the new National Incident Management System (NIMS) and its implications
for public and private sector , and more. The IAEM Committee is preparing
"Talk Packs" - succinct talking points, prepared "elevator speeches,"
and a ready summary of the benefits of security, sustainability, and economic
viability possible through better interaction between public and private
or ganizations. The intent is to arm the local emergency manager with
the vocabulary of the private entity CEO, business risk manager, continuity
planner, or operations chief to demonstrate quickly that a more proactive
approach by the private entity may be necessary to create the synergy
of successful public-private partnership.
Other IAEM offerings of interest include the 2004 Annual
Conference, November 711, in Dallas, T exas, the Certified Emergency Manager®
program, and the scholarship program for emergency management students.
For more, visit www.iaem.com.
9-11 Commission Seeks National Standard
on Emergency Management
NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) is participating in an effort
to identify a high-level standard for private sector emergency preparedness
and business continuity. As part of a request from the National Commission
on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (the 9-11 Commission), the
ANSI Homeland Security Standards Panel held a meeting in New York City
on January 28 to identify existing and proposed standards dealing with
emer gency management. One of the key documents presented for review was
NFPA 1600, Disaster Recovery, Emergency Management, and Business Continuity
Programs.
This meeting was attended by representatives from major
private sector companies, associations representing key constituents (i.e.
security, building owners), and by city and federal or ganizations involved
in emer gency management, including the Emer gency Management Accreditation
Program, FEMA, the New York City Office of Emer gency Management, the
Working Group on Private Sector Preparedness, the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security, the U.S. General Accounting Office, members of the NFPA 1600
Technical Committee and NFP A Staff Liaison, and members from DRII and
CCEP. The group will submit its final report to the 9-11 Commission in
April 2004. For more, contact pmooretex@aol.com
Proposed HAZMAT Restrictions Impact
Organizations in High-Threat Cities
It's the fear that terrorists might use hazardous chemicals in transportation
as the next weapons of mass destruction attack that led District of Columbia
officials to consider this first-of-its-kind legislation regulating rail
and truck transportation. And other cities are watching to see what happens.
Every year, approximately 4,000 rail cars carrying hazardous
cargo pass through downtown Washington, D.C. If one tank car carrying
liquid chlorine were to rupture as it made the turn near 14th Street,
a deadly cloud of chlorine gas would approach the popular National Mall
area within three minutes. With favorable wind conditions and a large
crowd on the Mall, 100,000 people in the nation's capital would be dead
30 minutes after the release. That's the scenario that the U.S. Naval
Research Laboratory presented to the D.C. City Council January 23 as it
considers legislation to severely restrict the transportation of hazardous
cargo through its borders.
Washington, D.C. is one of seven localities the U.S. Department
of Homeland Security has designated "high threat target cities" for continued
terrorism. Only one of the seven - New York City - regulates the routing
of dangerous cargo through its jurisdiction. Patterned after the New York
code and case law surrounding it, the District of Columbia's proposed
Terrorism Prevention and Safety in Hazardous Materials Transportation
Act of 2003, introduced last October, would require hazardous-materials
shippers to obtain permits from the D.C. Department of Transportation.
These permits would only be granted when there's no practical alternative
route to passage through the District or when the ultimate destination
is an approved facility in the District. Permits could also be issued
if an emergency required the cargo's passage through the city. Source:
USA Today
National Incident Management System
Formally Adopted
In Homeland Security Presidential Directive-5 (HSPD-5), President Bush
directed Tom Ridge to develop, submit for review to the Homeland Security
Council, and administer a National Incident Management System (NIMS).
This system will provide a consistent nationwide approach for federal,
state, tribal, and local governments to work effectively and efficiently
together to prepare for, prevent, respond to, and recover from domestic
incidents, regardless of cause, size, or complexity.
The NIMS has undergone extensive vetting and coordination
within the federal family. The development process has also included extensive
outreach to state, tribal, and local officials; to the emergency response
community; and to the private sector. As a result, the NIMS incorporates
the best practices currently in use by incident managers at all levels.
In addition, effective incident management in the homeland security environment
we now face involves new concepts, processes, and protocols that will
require further development and refinement over time.
HSPD-5 requires all federal departments and agencies to
adopt the NIMS and to use it in their individual domestic incident management
and emergency prevention, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation
programs and activities, as well as in support of those actions taken
to assist state, tribal, or local entities. The directive also requires
federal departments and agencies to make adoption of the NIMS by state
and local organizations a condition for federal preparedness assistance
beginning in FY 2005. Source: USA Today
About the Author
Pat Moore, CBCP, FBCI, CPM's 1999 Hall of Fame inductee,
and winner of FEMA's "Outstanding National Business Person" award for
1999-2000, is one of the world's leading educators on business and service
continuity planning. Now semi-retired, Pat joined Belfor USA as executive
advisor and director of Continuity of Operations Planning after serving
as vice president of Business Continuity Education at Strohl Systems from
1994 to 2002. She is or has been: chair of the Education Task Force of
NFPA's Disaster Management Committee; member of the American Hotel/Motel
Fire Safety Board and the National Emergency Management Association; appointed
member of the Board of Visitors for the Emergency Management Institute;
chairperson of the DRII Education & Standards Council; co-chair of the
IAEM Public/Private Partnership Committee; and member of the Strategic
Alliance Council and Education Council of the DRII. She can be reached
at (830) 598-1587 or pmooretex@aol.com.
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