Governance Pre-1982

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Continuity of Operations Overview Maryland
Emergency Management Agency
Continuity of Operations Planning New Employee
Orientation
November 14th, 2006
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What is COOP ?

• Continuity of Operations (COOP)
• The effort to assure that the capability
  exists to continue essential organization
  functions across a wide range of potential
  emergencies.
• OR
• More simply, the ability of Government and
  Private Industry to conduct mission critical
  business.

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What is COG ?

• Continuity of Government (COG)
• Effort to ensure continued leadership,
  authorities, direction and control, and
  preservation of records, thereby maintaining a
  viable system of government
• OR
• More simply, the preservation of the institutions
  of government.

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History of COOP COG

• Originally conceived as war-planning effort
  Civil Defense mandates
• Rationale based on nuclear attack threat
• Concerns centered around a possible climate of
  anarchy, lawlessness, chaos during a major event
• Hinged national viability on the survivability of
  State and local government

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COOP Planning is NOT

• An institutionalized scapegoat plan.
• An alternate employee performance evaluation
  system.
• A covert program for downsizing.
• An authoritarian method of micro-management.
• Busy work.

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COOP Planning IS

• About ensuring the continuous performance of an
  organization's essential functions during an
  emergency.
• About reducing disruptions to operations.
• About protecting essential facilities, equipment,
  records, and other assets.
• About minimizing injury, loss of life and
  property damage.
• About achieving a timely and orderly recovery
  from an emergency and resumption of full service
  to the public.

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Why COOP?
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Requirements for a COOP Plan

• COOP plans must
• Be maintained at a high level of readiness
• Be capable of implementation with and without
  warning
• Be operational no later than 12 hours after
  activation
• Sustain operations for up to 2 weeks and
• Take advantage of existing organization
  infrastructure.

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Elements of a COOP Plan

• Essential Functions Key Personnel
• Vital Records, Systems Equipment
• Alternate Work Sites
• Communications
• Training, Testing Exercises

Vital Records, Systems Equipment
Essential Functions Key Personnel
Alternate Work Sites
Communications
Training, Testing Exercises
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What are essential functions?

• Essential functions are those functions that
  MUST be performed to achieve the organizations
  mission.

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IDENTIFY REQUIREMENTS FOR CRITICAL PROCESSES AND
SERVICES.

• Resources needed to carry out critical process or
  service
• Personnel,
• Data or vital records, and
• Systems and equipment.

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DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY AND SUCCESSION PLANNING

• The deliberate and systematic effort to ensure
  continuity of leadership and the continued
  effective performance of an organization by
  making provisions for the development and
  strategic placement of people in the event of
  either an anticipated or a sudden vacancy in a
  key position.

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Why Have a Succession Plan?

• Prepares the organization for planned departures
  as well as for emergencies
• Provides for consistency of operations
• Reduces stress during a transition whether caused
  by an emergency or not
• Preserves institutional knowledge and expertise
  and
• Maintains organization functionality with
  minimal interruption.

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Goals of Succession Planning

• Match Current Talent with Future Need
• Meet organizations Strategic and Operational
  Challenges and
• Preserve Institutional Memory/Knowledge.

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Circumstances that would trigger succession

• Emergency event
• Death
• Incapacitation through illness or serious injury
  of that person or his/her family
• Imprisonment
• Abduction
• Unexplained disappearance
• Filling the vacancy of another key position

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Identify any limitations on the successor

• Length of term in the position
• Return to normal operations.
• Original person is able to return to duties.
• Organization head designates a new person.
• Limits on decision-making authority
• May make only short-term decisions involving
  day-to-day operations.
• May or may not make fiscal decisions.
• May or may not make staffing decisions.

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VITAL RECORDS

• Records or documents, regardless of form, which,
  if damaged or destroyed, would
• Disrupt agency operations and information flow
• Cause considerable inconvenience and
• Require replacement or recreation of the records
  at considerable expense.
• Two types
• Emergency Operating Records
• Legal and Financial Records

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Critical Systems Equipment

• Identify critical systems and equipment.
• Select and arrange protection methods for
  critical systems and equipment at both the
  primary and alternate work sites.
• Prioritize the recovery of critical systems and
  equipment by using recovery time and recovery
  point objectives.

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Factors in Selecting Alternate Work Sites

• Size of the alternate facility and space
  requirements
• Construction of the alternate facility and
  adaptability
• Location
• Ability to obtain services at alternate facility
• Availability of mass transit to the alternate
  facility
• Communication needs
• Security requirements
• Contractual obligations

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Communications

• Identify communications systems supporting
  essential functions at the primary and alternate
  facilities.
• Implement preventative controls at the primary
  and alternate work sites.
• Select alternative modes of communication for use
  in an emergency, taking interoperability into
  consideration.
• Prepare a chain of communication or rapid recall
  list.

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Implement Preventative Controls

• Preventative controls are those efforts to avoid
  the occurrence of unwanted events and to mitigate
  risks to vital systems and equipment. Examples
  include the following
• Uninterruptible power supplies
• Fire and smoke detectors
• Water sensors
• Emergency master system shutdown switch
• Technical security controls and
• Frequent and scheduled backups.

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Maryland COOP Planning to date

• COOP plans completed among cabinet level state
  agencies
• COOP plans started in several local jurisdictions
• Maryland Judicial System
• MEMA COOP Planning Manual
• Used by surrounding states for their COOP plans
• Manual used as basis for nationwide COOP training
  for states and local jurisdictions by University
  of Maryland CHHS.

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Final Thoughts

• ROI vs public health and safety
• You are only as prepared as your suppliers are!
• Plan by function, fail by site!
• NIMS/ICS What does it mean for COOP?
• Coordinate with local state authorities!
• Plan, train, test, review, revise, start over!

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Association of Contingency Planners

•    
• The Association of Contingency Planners (ACP) -
  Central Maryland Chapter is a non-profit trade
  association dedicated to fostering continued
  professional growth and development in effective
  Contingency Business Resumption Planning.  ACP
  is the recognized premier international
  networking and information exchange organization
  in the business continuity industry.
• ACP provides members an excellent information
  exchange experience and opportunities to set
  response and recovery trends while strengthening
  relationships through public and private
  partnerships.
• http//www.acp-international.com/cenMD/index
  .htm

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Questions?
Jeremy Scheinker State COOP Program
Manager jscheinker_at_mema.state.md.us 410-517-5109 h
ttp//www.mema.state.md.us/