Vol. 3, Iss. 3
March 2011

Question and Answer Issue

Welcome to this free newsletter designed to assist you in helping your organization plan and prepare for any emergency. The Business Emergency Planning Institute helps businesses, nonprofits and government agencies learn, plan and network for business disruption preparation.

In this issue ...
1. Nominated yourself or another for a BEPPE?
2. What can you learn from the disasters in Japan?
3. Unable to attend the Northeast Summit?
4. Are you really prepared for a flood?
5. Is your cloud really 24/7/365?
6. Are exercises a waste of time?
7. Do you know where to go for more information?
 
1. Nominated yourself or another for a BEPPE?
You do the work to plan, thwart, mitigate or recover from a disruption at your organization. But it sometimes can be thankless work. Now’s the time to be appreciated. Nominations for the 2011 Business Emergency Planning Professional Excellence (BEPPE) award nominations are being accepted through Thursday, March 31.

Presented by the BEP Institute and sponsored by ServiceMaster Clean, the awards recognize businesses, nonprofits and government agencies that have survived, mitigated or even thwarted a major disruption in 2010. Read more about last year’s winners, grab a nomination form (self-nominations are welcome!) and learn more details at www.bepinstitute.com/beppes. And mark May 13 on your calendar for the BEPPE Best Practices Panel and Awards Breakfast, where all attendees can learn from the feted to help you and your organization.

2. What can you learn from the disasters in Japan?
If you were a business with Japan-based operations, would you be evacuating your workers? Take that question even more local—what scenarios would lead you to evacuate people from your places of businesses?

CFO World touched on the subject this week. The issue now, of course, is not the earthquake or the tsunami but the resulting catastrophe with the nuclear reactors. Blackstone, a global private equity firm, closed its offices for a week, allowing staff and their families to relocate temporarily outside the country. Others have not told their employees to leave, staying in touch with local government officials in case the situation changes.

But no matter what the plan is … companies are being asked how they’re handling the situation—would your company know what to say and who will say it? (Note: In today’s instant communication world, it won’t just be mainstream media, it will be your employees on Facebook, your vendors on Twitter and more.)

The article is one of many linked from the special report at the Disaster Recovery Journal central site with many business-related links and articles that can help all of us, whether we’re directly affected by the tragic disasters in Japan this month or not.

3. Unable to attend the Northeast Meta-Leadership Summit?
Almost 175 Northeast Ohioans from the business, government and nonprofit communities came together for the first-ever Meta-Leadership Summit organized by the Centers for Disease Control Foundation. The daylong event included a morning of leadership insight and ideas from an expert and Harvard University professor followed by an afternoon of conversation about what all the sectors could offer in the face of a disaster in Northeast Ohio. One business offered space for emergency personnel to set up emergency command posts, another offered to share their IT expertise and local knowledge of the facilities that could be affected. The lists of offerings were long.

The chance to come together wasn’t a one-time event, Northeast Ohio is working together to prepare and one of the top suggestions was to have a drill to test the region’s readiness (beyond first responders) in the event of a disaster. The BEP Institute was proud to be a member of the host committee. If you’d like to get involved, just contact us at info@bepinstitute.com or (216) 212-7181.

4. Are you really prepared for a flood?
Earlier this month was a very scary time for thousands in Northeast Ohio who woke up Monday morning to standing water (if they were lucky) or sewage (if they weren’t) in their home or business. Just today, the National Weather Service issued its spring outlook for flooding.

Have you ever thought about what you would do if it were your home or your company that was flooded? What would you do in that situation? Can you handle it yourself? What can be saved and what should be discarded? Should you turn this into your insurance company? If you don’t think you can handle it yourself, who should you call? What type of business even handles such things? How do I know who I can trust?

Jeff Baker of ServiceMaster shares the questions you need answered to be really prepared in this article. The National Weather Service also offers some tips as well here.

5. Is your cloud really 24/7/365?
Cloud computing—enabling users to access company-provided programs and data hosted by outside servers—presents some opportunities and some needs. If you’re looking at cloud computing, don’t make assumptions.

Ask your vendor or vendor prospect about the potential for downtime, which could crippled your business, whether the vendor experiences a power outage or some other disaster at its primary and/or back-up sites, for example. This article touches on the basics and offers links to vendor comparisons and buyers’ guides.

6. Are exercises a waste of time?
The best preparedness plans have been tested with the stakeholders involved. Real-life exercises are a great what to see if your plan really will work in the light of a true disruption. But making those exercises meaningful for all participants is essential for few reasons: Organizers need to know the shortfalls in the plan so they can be corrected. Stakeholders need to know what to do, but they also need to feel like their time was well used for testing or the next time (real or exercise) they won’t care as much to be involved.

Industry leader and internationally renowned expert Regina Phelps has written Emergency Management Exercises with more than 200 pages of valuable information, exercises, etc. “Here is a concise, logical progression of planning, along with the techniques and tools that will bring desired results,” writes Randall Till in his review published at Disaster Recovery Journal.

7. Educational Resources
The Business Emergency Planning Institute is a membership-based organization that provides education and networking opportunities for companies, nonprofits and government agencies that want to plan, mitigate and recover from all types of business disruptions. The institute provides public seminars, customized training, resources, exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities. On-site topics range from floor warden training to how to start planning, special event disaster planning and pandemic workplace preparation. Not sure what you need to be prepared? Contact Executive Director Ann M. Gynn at agynn@bepinstitute.com or (216) 212-7181 and we can help.

Pass along this newsletter to someone who might benefit from the news. Received this copy from someone else? Sign up for free by sending an email with "Subscribe" in subject line to agynn@bepinstitute.com.

Want to participate in ongoing discussions, get the latest news, etc. ask us for an invite or find "BEP Institute" on LinkedIn.

The American Red Cross of Greater Cleveland, a BEP Institute supporter, offers extensive training and courses, including classes in first aid, CPR, AED and more. Check out the classes, pricing and schedule at www.redcross-cleveland.org or call (216) 431-3010.

Cleveland State University Center for Emergency Preparedness offers a certificate program in business continuity and emergency planning. Check out all the details at www.csuohio.edu/ce. If you're an active CSU alum or COSE member, you're eligible for a 15 percent discount on most continuing ed classes. Mention when you register.

Hennes Paynter Communications distributes a must-read twice monthly e-newsletter at no charge. A BEP Institute friend, just ask to be put on the distribution list by sending your email to hennes@crisiscommunications.com.