Government Emergency Response Plans

Getting Beyond Just An Emergency Response Plan In The Government Sector

An Emergency Response Plan Is Not Enough – Within the government sector, it is not uncommon to hear that they have an emergency plan, and that is good!   When asked to see the plan, and after going through it, more often than not a large “recovery void”  stands out.  Conspicuously absent in the plan are the detailed steps necessary to restore their work area and resume business. 

If you work within the government sector, may I suggest that you locate your department’s “emergency response and recovery plan”.   Set aside a block of time on your calendar and read through the document.  What you find may surprise you.   When you’ve finished reading the plan, ask yourself if it is an all-inclusive one. That is, one that will enable your department to both respond to, and recover from, an emergency.

A Government Entity Is A Business - Even though government entities are “not for  profit” in nature,  each one is in fact a business.  Furthermore, each exhibits and shares most of the inherent characteristics found in any private, or publicly traded service orientated enterprise. 

The genesis of a government entity is in response to a needed service to the public.  Once identified, one of the first steps is the development of department mission statement, or a business plan.  From there, you’ll develop an organizational structure from line workers to management.  HR is established to hire the staff that will deliver the service. The staff resides in a building that is owned or leased, and within that facility you have established work areas.  Your staff performs certain tasks identified within their job description to deliver service to the public.  In return for the tasks performed, a payroll department exists to provide compensation to the employees.  To support your business, internal and external services are required, along with special equipment,  supplies, consumables, and forms.  Purchasing negotiates the pricing, and the legal department addresses contractual issues.  The mailroom coordinates incoming and outgoing items.  A/P and A/R processes revenues and expenses, and you’re expected to run within a budget.  You’re accountable, not to shareholders, but to your elected officials and to your constituency.  You utilize internal and/or external information technology to support your line of business.  Voice and data communication circuits connect you to the outside world.  You must comply with certain laws and regulations, and you’re subject to both internal and external audits.  And finally, you need to provide consistent and continuous service, even after an emergency or disaster.  

Expectations Of Continuous Service - In the private sector, the ability to rapidly recover from a disaster, and resume business operations, is critical to the survival of the business.  In the governmental sector, that availability of service requirement is no different.  In fact, it is probably even more critical in order to ensure both continued and expanded services to the public in the time of greatest need.   To accomplish this, having a Disaster/Business Recovery Plan is not an option. 

Is An Emergency Response Plan Enough?  –  Though many documents carry the title “Emergency Response Plan”,  most are limited in scope by the plans objectives.  It’s those objectives and details, contained within these plans, that often differs.  Therefore, if your department’s goal is to be able to respond, recover and resume operations, this type of plan may fall short of your expectations. 

To determine if your plan maps to your objectives at time of need, locate your Emergency Response Plan and read the document.  What you will most likely find is a plan that addresses one of the two below possibilities:

Possibility 1 - An Emergency Response Plan that details a set of procedures on how to immediately respond to an emergency situation at your normal work location.  It commonly includes: emergency instructions, attending to the injured, evacuation routes, floor wardens, search zones, assembly points, utility turnoffs, emergency numbers, etc. 

This type of information is generally included in any disaster/business recovery plan.  However, as you will read later in this summary, it is but a small segment of what needs to be included.

- or you may discover -

Possibility 2 - An Emergency Response Plan that details the actions a government entity will take to provide emergency services to the public, immediately following a disaster. The efforts frequently use an Incident Command System and are often coordinated out of an Emergency Command or Operations Center.  Functions are often grouped (teams) into five general categories:  Management/Command, Operations, Planning/Intelligence, Logistics and Finance/Administration. 

Both types of plans are necessary.  Each one is designed to support specific emergency response efforts immediately following a major local or regional disaster.  These plans identify the responses,  sequence, tasks required, resource requirements, and the step-by-step instructions necessary to complete each operation.  All identified tasks are designed to address:  mitigation, life, safety, and health issues.

If you have either of these types of plans, and have nothing else included within, then you probably do not have a  comprehensive recovery  process.  In truth, an Emergency Response Plan is only a small, yet very important part of a complete disaster  program.   Therefore, if your true objective is one of a complete recovery plan, additional information must be included.   You will want to include the necessary recovery teams and tasks required to not only respond, but to also recover, resume operations, reconstruct and eventually relocate.  To achieve this,  you must either:

1.       Add information to your Emergency Response Plan, or;
2.       Develop a separate Disaster/Business Recovery Plan 

A Disaster/Business  Recovery Plan - A Disaster/Business Recovery Plan provides your organization with the necessary information to not only respond to the emergency/disaster,  but also to recover the critical functions of your business. Once you recover, and only then, you can subsequently resume your business functions.  It’s a process that is sometimes referred to as a business recovery or continuity plan.  No matter how you label it, it is a type of plan that both government and the private sector should consider a necessity.  It’s a methodology that utilizes a multiple recovery team structure and addresses such recovery issues as:  emergency response, crisis management, damage assessment, reconstruction, information systems, communications, administration, business functions,  payroll, etc. 

With this process, each team has a predefined set of responsibilities, each addressing:

1.       Response
2.       Restoration
3.       Resumption
4.       Reconstruction
5.       Relocation

For each identified recovery function, detailed and specific information must be documented. 

Ultimately, when you’re finished developing this plan,  you’ll be in a position to resume your business either at the damaged facility,  or at an alternative location.  It will be comprehensive enough that this can be accomplished with, or without, key staff members. Finally, your recovery plan will address such functions as: work area, equipment, supplies, voice and data network, procedures, critical contacts and numbers, information technology, etc.

Summary:  Predicated on the requirements and the objectives you set,  you’ll need to:

1.      Obtain management commitment to the process
2.      Reach concurrence within your department as to your recovery objectives
3.      Develop a recovery plan to meet those goals 

Don’t be satisfied till you reach your recovery objectives!

To order, click here:  

To return to the BRProactive home page, click here: