It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.

- Charles Darwin

Continuity of Operations Planning (COOP)

for Businesses in Benton County, MN

Expect the Unexpected

COOP is an effort within individual departments and agencies to ensure the continued performance of minimum essential functions during a wide range of potential emergencies...

Definition of COOP Continuity of Operations

In short – it keeps you IN BUSINESS!

This is accomplished through the development of plans, comprehensive procedures, and provisions for alternate facilities, personnel, resources, interoperable communications, and vital records/ databases.

How do we accomplish this?

This is why we are here today!

So it does not have to be this way.

The process of planning is more important than the written document that results.

Plans are nothing. Planning is everything!

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Planning for the Inevitable

Plan your dive, dive your plan

Plan your flight, fly your plan

Plan your hike, hike your plan

What is the Inevitable?

Possible Strikes

Natural Disasters Man-made Disasters

Mother Nature

Fires

No Matter What It Is – Be Prepared

Ride the Wave Today’s wave is Pandemic Flu

Remember

It is not a drill this time

Yesterday’s Wave

COOP / Planning and Operations Considerations

Document loss - One page or the whole archive

Electronic Data - One file or the whole computer system

Personnel - One person or the whole workforce

Facilities - One desk or the whole building

What Questions Do You Need to Ask?

• What do we do?• How do we do it?• What is vital? What isn’t?• Is our data protected?• Can we operate at another site?• Can we operate with ½ the staff?• What about our people?• How reliant are we on outside vendors?• Am I insured?

???? - Continued

• Who take’s over if I can’t be there?• Can we secure the facility?• Do we have alternate plans?

Facility Suppliers Transportation

• Bottom line, what do we need to operate?

Step 1

• Identify what it is that you do that is mission critical.

• Prioritize these functions

Step 2

• Determine what data is needed.

• How are you going to secure that data?

• Determine which personnel are critical to your daily operation.

• Delegate authority

• Plan of succession

Step 3

• Who is in charge and what authority do they have?

• You must have a single point of contact for department heads and top officials.

• You must have the authority to direct department heads ( city manager, CEO type position).

• Removes doubt about authority

• Identifies who is charge of what

• Defines authority and limitations

• Establishes accountability & responsibility

• Authorizes the suspension of some activities

Pre-delegation Emergency Authority

Succession

• Identify who is in charge of what!

• Include elected, appointed, and career players.

• Provide a means to ensure leadership on a 24/7 basis

• Plan on being at least 3 deep

• Do it by resolution and give legal authority

Step 4

• Determine an off site plan

Facilities Equipment Access Security Communications Shipping

Step 5

• Can you test it?

Dry run

Table top

Step 6

• Revise it and update it.

• Review the plan As needed As circumstances dictate When the sky is clear and the

sun is out

Where Do We Go From Here?

• Meet with key employees Get input

• Meet with ALL employees Involve them

Begin Now• Get started now. The only way to eat an

elephant is one bite at a time…

•and this looks like an elephant.

You Are Not On Your Own!

• There are people and resources available Use them Emergency Management Director Business Associations

• Chamber of Commerce

Key Employees Old plans – Y2K Government web sites

Web Resources• www.hsem.state.mn.us

• www.miamidade.gov/oem/library/COOP_COG%20template.pdf

• www.davislogic.com

• www.ehs.ufl.edu/RiskMgmt/COOP/COOP_training.ppt

Together We Succeed – Separately We Fail

If not now, when – If not me, who