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CONTINGENCY PLANNING ADVANCES
Through Public & Private Partnerships
By Pat Moore
Disaster recovery, emergency management and continuity
planning professionals in both the public and private sectors worldwide
continue to face many challenges as they strive to do their jobs in a
rapidly changing business and service environment. In recent years our
industry has seen downsizing, re-engineering, outsourcing, changes in
technology, lack of uniform standards, globalization, worldwide demand
for disaster-resistant communities, and constant requirements for ongoing
dialogue and cooperation between public and private sectors.
PARTNERSHIPS BRING PROGRESS
The good news, however, is that over the last year
we also experienced a great deal of progress with the establishment and
expansion of solid and progressive relationships, as well as the development
of joint standards between the public and private sector organizations.
Recognition of the increasing danger
of long-term business and service interruption due to natural, manmade,
and technological disasters has forced private sector corporations and
public sector institutions to expand the scope of their recovery planning.
In addition to the life safety, emergency response and data center recovery
issues, they now ‘partner’ with each other long in advance of a disaster
occurrence to ensure continuity of business and service operations and
protection of our critical infrastructure.
As our businesses and government
face more scrutiny of how they manage risks and protect assets, executive
management has been presented with the challenge of providing ‘value added’
services to their clients and communities. It is an accepted fact today
that no service is more important than the ability to deliver what was
promised, and in a timely manner, disasters not withstanding. Chief executive
and operating officers, including the President of the United States,
expect a plan to accomplish this.
Regulations concerning the maintenance
of the critical infrastructure of the United States, industry quality
and contingency planning standards and class action suits addressing potential
lack of "duty of trust" and "due diligence" increasingly appear on the
scene in the United States. Responsible chief executives, within small
to large companies and institutions, seek to conduct their own review
of disaster preparedness within their organizations and among their suppliers,
and mandate planning for recovery and continuity of operations at all
critical levels.
PUBLIC/PRIVATE SECTOR INDUSTRY
INITIATIVES
One of the most successful mitigation
efforts is FEMA’s ‘Project Impact’ initiative which continues to be a
catalyst and model for public-private partnership efforts worldwide. See
preceding article for FEMA update.
Other successful
mitigation, emergency management, preparedness, response, recovery and
continuity partnerships and initiatives include**:
• Public Private Partnerships
2000 (PPP 2000) is a cooperative effort of the
19 agencies comprising the Subcommittee on Natural Disaster Reduction,
part of the National Science and Technology Council’s Committee on the
Environment and Natural Resources, and a number of other private sector
organizations. The goal of PPP 2000 is to "seek new and innovative opportunities
for government and nonprofit, private sector organizations to work together
to reduce vulnerability to and losses from natural hazards in communities
across the Nation."
• The Institute for Business
& Home Safety (IBHS) sponsors the development of
Showcase States throughout the nation to demonstrate the benefits of taking
specific, creative steps at the state government level to reduce deaths,
injuries, property damage, economic losses and human suffering caused
by natural disasters. In December 1998, Rhode Island became the first
Showcase State.
• The Florida Alliance for Safe
Homes (FLASH). The Insurance industry, the state
of Florida, the federal government, and national nonprofit organizations
have formed a statewide public awareness and education campaign for Floridians.
Along with IBHS, the FLASH partners are the Capital Chapter of the American
Red Cross, Fannie Mae, FEMA, the Florida Chapter of the American Red Cross,
the Florida Department of Community Affairs, the Florida Department of
Insurance and the Florida Insurance Council.
• The New York State Joint Loss
Reduction Partnership Project, under the leadership
of the State Emergency Management Office includes partners with the Contingency
Planning Exchange (CPE) and FEMA. This partnership comprises a cross section
of the state’s business leadership, along with key federal, state, and
local government officials whose initiatives include leveraging the expertise
of many companies based in New York concerning actions necessary to make
the state’s businesses "disaster resistant". One of their most innovative
and exciting programs is the Corporate Emergency Access Program that addresses
the needs of businesses to have access to their business in times of disaster.
• International Association
of Emergency Managers (IAEM) actively pursues partnerships that advance
coordination and support between public and private organizations and
constituencies worldwide, and has a Public/Private Partnership Committee
as part of its organization.
• Disaster Recovery Business
Alliance (DRBA) is a nationwide initiative to unite public and private
sectors one municipality at a time.
• National and Independent Contingency
Planning organizations, with public and private sector members, participate
in disaster mitigation and continuity of operations educational workshops,
mentoring, training and exercises within their communities.
• Community Emergency Operations
Centers arrange for private sector liaison representatives to have
a presence in these centers in times of emergency for better communications
and resources.
UNIFORM RECOVERY STANDARDS
Progress is also being made in establishing uniform
recovery industry standards. Examples of this include:
• State’s Capabilities Assessment
for Readiness (CAR) helps the individual states to identify their
strengths, as well as vulnerabilities, in disaster situations. In addition
a local CAR task force has also been established to consider taking this
assessment down to the local community level.
• NFPA 1600 – the Standard
On Disaster / Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs was
approved by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) membership
in November, 1999. This standard establishes a common set of criteria
for disaster management, emergency management, and business continuity
programs. The purpose of this standard is to provide those with the responsibility
for disaster/emergency management and business continuity the criteria
to assess current programs or to develop, implement and maintain a program
to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters and emergencies.
FEMA, the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA) and the International
Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) are seriously considering endorsement
of this standard and NFPA is awaiting their endorsement confirmation.
• "Professional Practices for
Business Continuity Planners" is the April, 1997 agreement between
the Disaster Recovery Institute International (DRII) and the Business
Continuity Institute (BCI) which defines the boundaries of the business
continuity planning profession and expertise required for DRII certification
and BCI membership.
EXPANDED ACCREDITATION REQUIREMENTS
& CURRICULUM
Accredited industry organizations and educational
institutions are expanding their requirements and curriculums to include
merging the emergency management, life safety and business and service
continuity issues. Examples of this include:
• The Joint Commission on Accredited
Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) has expanded its accreditation requirements
beyond the life safety and patient care areas to include "continuity of
operations" capabilities in their environment of care.
• The Health Care Financing
Administration (HCFA) is finalizing proposed standards that include
emergency mode of operation planning. At a recent summit, a business continuity
planning industry ‘focus group’ was formed to provide their expertise
to HCFA for determining the critical elements of an emergency mode operation
plan. This plan is a requirement of the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA).
• Numerous academic institutions
in the last few years have added business and government recovery and
continuity planning courses to their emergency management curriculum as
public and private sector individuals seek knowledge and certification
within each others’ fields.
**Due to ‘space’ constraints, the
aforementioned initiative and standard information covered in this article
represents only a minimal portion of the progress made in this industry.
See full article on-line.
About the Author
Pat Moore, CBCP (Certified Business Continuity Professional),
FBCI (Fellow of the Business Continuity Institute), Contingency Planning
& Management’s 1999 Hall of Fame inductee, and winner of FEMA’s 1999 "Outstanding
National Business Person" award, is Vice-President, Business Continuity
Education for King of Prussia, PA based Strohl Systems. Pat is known internationally
since 1982 for her real-world experience and expertise in disaster recovery,
business continuity planning, physical property restoration and loss mitigation,
and lectures and is published worldwide on these subjects.
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