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Continuity of Operations Planning: Bird Flu and Beyond

Presented at the NRCS National Efficiency Workshop St. Louis. July 17 to 21, 2006. Workshop on COOP Readiness

In the event of bird flu outbreak, your Continuity of Operations Planning (COOP) responsibilities take on a special dimension for several reasons:

  • High personal fear factor – possible outbreak of panic.
  • Extended period of sickness affecting many of your staff and their families… and NRCS support and payroll services.
  • Economic impact on the poultry industry and the infrastructure of entire communities.

Your special responsibility as agency leaders is to be

  • Aware
  • Prepared
  • Put people first

Put People First

Employee and family security

  • Worksite contagion risk
  • Family illness and quarantine
  • Leave and compensation
  • Designation of beneficiaries
  • Alternative worksites/telecommuting
  • Communications and IT support

Public safety

  • Provide essential technical services (avian disposal)
  • Minimize public contacts

Biosecurity for your customer’s livelihood

  • Follow biosecurity policy
  • Have contingency plans for technical assistance

Be Aware

Stay informed

  • NRCS employee information Service Center Agency guidance
  • USDA Bird Flu website
  • Federal/state websites

Communicate with employees, partners, public

  • Openly
  • Frequently
  • Factually
  • Calmly

Avoid panic

  • Have a plan.
  • Stay calm.
  • Get the facts.
  • Share the facts.

Be Prepared

COOP plan tested, ready to go! COOP essentials:

  • Up-to-date contact info.
  • Order of succession (go deep!)
  • Employee records and benefits
  • Communications
  • Alternate work sites/telecommuting
  • Emergency supplies
  • Emergency relief functions

Partners are coordinated.

  • Follow APHIS lead
  • Coordinate with FSA Directors, State Veterinarian, Food and Agriculture Council, State emergency boards
  • Clarify roles (NRCS= soils expertise for animal disposal)

Staff and families are prepared.

Mission Critical

Protect our employees

  • Evacuation plan
  • Safe work sites
  • Communications
  • All accounted for
  • Families secure

Protect government property

  • Vital records and data
  • Buildings
  • Vehicles, other assets

Provide essential services

  • Damage assessment
  • Soils expertise
  • Natural resource assessment
  • Emergency technical assistance
  • Dam safety
  • Support services
  • IT and vital data

COOP elements

  • Essential functions
  • Succession, delegation
  • Security for vital records, data
  • Emergency relocation facilities (ERF)
  • Interoperable communications
  • Testing and training program
  • Continuous update

“Devolution” Plan

  • Contingency plan
  • In case another unit has to assume your critical functions, even temporarily.
  • Plan includes:
    • Required staffing and materiel
    • Triggers that activate devolution option
    • Procedures for restoring responsibility to you unit after the crisis.

Continuity of Government Condition (COGON) System

Relates COOP actions to level of concern

  1. (“High”): ERFs fully staffed, functional, ready to perform essential functions
  2. ERFs staffing 1/3 complete, 4 hours to fully operational, key successors relocate
  3. Successor tracking, communications checks start, 8 hours to fully operational
  4. (“Guarded”): First alert

Prepare Now

  • Test COOP plans (conduct exercises)
  • Update employee contact information
  • Develop a communications plan
  • Plan for Avian Flu outbreak
  • Review delegations of authority
  • Review order of succession
  • Prepare devolution plan

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Last Modified: 08/01/2007