Texas Department of Public Safety Texas Emergency Management Conference 2016 “The Link” Continuity of Operations and Emergency Management Alan Sowell, TDEM COOP Unit Supervisor Michelle Neisen, DSHS Business Continuity Coordinator

Texas Department of Public Safety Definitions Emergency Management (EM)  Emergency management is the managerial function charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. FEMA Continuity Of Operations (COOP)  An organization’s effort to ensure they can continue to perform their essential functions during a wide range of emergencies… CGC-1

Texas Department of Public Safety Common Approach Mission Areas Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response and Recovery. Common Responsibility COOP and EM are both responsible for protecting the organization, its personnel and assets. Plans for each mission area need to be in alignment.

Texas Department of Public Safety Organizational Structure Chain of Command Usually Emergency Management and COOP are in different chains of command within the organization. Even though EM & COOP may have a different chain of command, we have a shared goal of reducing risk to their organization. This common goal should encourage us to work collaboratively.

Texas Department of Public Safety Plan Development Collaboration Emergency Manager and Continuity Manager share areas of plan development, which require coordination. Some of these areas are:  Collaborative Planning  Coordinated Acquisition of Resources  Distribution of Resources

Texas Department of Public Safety Coordinated Approach to Planning Staff and Families When planning, one needs to consider how the staff member and family are affected by the incident. Will the staff member be able to perform their role if their family is adversely impacted by the incident? Consider building a support group using unassigned staff to respond to an incident that adversely affects the family of essential personnel.

Texas Department of Public Safety Coordinated Approach … Staff Awareness Coordinate with Emergency Managers to inform the public of risk and how to prepare and respond to them. For example: Emergency Managers and Continuity Coordinators both identify key suppliers and should have a contingency plan. Does your Emergency Management Program have a COOP plan?

Texas Department of Public Safety Information Sharing

Texas Department of Public Safety Information Sharing… Emergency Management Needs to know the COOP strategy, resource and time requirements. COOP Management Needs to know the EM’s restoration priorities and time frames. Both Need to have a clear delineation of responsibility and regular communication.

Texas Department of Public Safety Information Sharing… Swim Lanes

Texas Department of Public Safety Information Sharing… Regular Meetings  Share information about threats and vulnerabilities.  Activities on addressing threats and vulnerabilities.  Current activities; especially acquisitions and agreements.  Participate in each others planning committee. By sharing this information, it ensures that both groups have common goals, which helps ensure organization resilience.

Texas Department of Public Safety Collaboration Side by Side Training COOP staff need to participate in EM training and EM staff need to participate in COOP training. Identify opportunities for joint projects such as as disaster exercises, evacuation, risk assessment. This way when areas for improvement are identified in the exercise, both groups are aware of the issue and can address it.

Texas Department of Public Safety Incident Response When the Confetti Hits the Fan Implementation of EM and COOP plans must be coordinated to ensure safety of staff, facility security, resumption of services and restoration of infrastructure. For example, you do not want to receive a shipment of 100 computers and not have a facility to house them.

Texas Department of Public Safety Joint Meetings Risk Related Departments Joint meetings of risk related departments, such as COOP, disaster recovery, emergency management, incident management, information security, insurance and facility security should be coordinated. Coordinated efforts lends to successful planning and strengthens effective response and recovery.

Texas Department of Public Safety Summary  Emergency management and COOP have the same mission areas  Common Approach and Responsibilities  Avoid Silo Mentality  Coordinate Plan Development  Share Information  Collaboration – Side by Side Training

Texas Department of Public Safety Thank You! For More Information For more information about this presentation, contact Michelle Neisen, CBCP, MCP, MEP, Business Continuity Coordinator, Department of State Health Services at Or Alan Sowell, MCP, COOP Unit Supervisor, Texas Division of Emergency Management, Produced by the Texas Division of Emergency Management Preparedness Section, Plans Team