# Presentation: 064983

## Continuity of Operations (COOP)
Awareness Training

NOAA Homeland Security Program Office

**Awareness Training**
- NOAA Homeland Security Program Office

## Objectives

- Provide an understanding of COOP, COOP terms, and benefits of COOP planning
- Explain elements of a viable COOP capability
- Provide information about how a COOP event might affect you, NOAA, and your family and what you can do to prepare

## Training Topics

- COOP Definition and Scope
- Authority for COOP
- COOP Overview
- 8 Phases of COOP
- NOAA’s Role in COOP
- COOP Impacts
- How to Prepare for a COOP Event
- Conclusion

## Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP)

***What the heck is it?  And, why do we need one?***

## COOP Definition

- COOP is defined as the activities of individual departments and agencies and their sub-components to ensure that their essential functions are performed

## What are COOP activities?

***COOP activities include:***
- Plans and procedures to ensure that essential functions are performed.
- Tests, training, and exercises essential for ensuring a viable COOP capability

## COOP is different from ordinary emergency plans.  
It goes a step further to ensure delivery of the most critical services even when personnel, equipment and resources are missing or not working.

***It goes a step further to ensure delivery of the most critical services even when personnel, equipment and resources are missing or not working.***

## COOP Authority

***Legal Basis:  ***
- National Security Presidential Directive/NSPD-51-*and*- Homeland Security Presidential Directive/HSPD-20, “*National Continuity Policy*”
- Executive Order 12656, *“Assignment of Emergency Preparedness Responsibilities”*

**Notes:**
Tell the group that the legal basis for COOP planning was Executive Order (EO) 12656, Assignment of Emergency Preparedness Responsibilities.  This EO was augmented by Presidential Decision Directive (PDD) 67, which carried the directive authority for more than 100 departments and agencies of the Executive Branch.  PDD 67 guides the Legislative and Judicial branch COOP programs as well.
Explain that PDD 67 is classified, but its requirements and concepts have been developed by FEMA into a comprehensive, unclassified set of guidelines for COOP that can be adapted for use at the State and local levels as well.

## COOP Overview

- DHS FEMA is the lead agent for Federal Executive Branch COOP
- Responsible for issuing COOP guidance, and
- Promoting understanding of and compliance with COOP requirements in Federal Continuity Directive 1 (FCD-1)

## COOP Overview

**FCD-1 directs COOP planning in the Federal Executive Branch**

## COOP Overview:  Benefits

- COOP is described as a good business practice
- COOP addresses emergencies from an all hazards approach
- Natural
- Manmade
- Technological
- National security emergencies

## COOP Overview:  Planning Objectives

- Delineate essential functions
- Specify succession to office and the emergency delegation of authority
- Provide for the safekeeping of vital records and databases
- Identify alternate operating facilities
- Provide for interoperable communications
- Validate the capability through tests, training, and exercises (TT&E)

## COOP Overview:  Planning Considerations

***COOP plans must:***
- Be capable of implementation anytime, with and without warning.
- Provide full operational capability for essential functions not later than 12 hours after activation.
- Be capable of sustaining operations for up to 30 days.
- Include regularly scheduled TT&E.

## COOP Overview:  Elements of a Viable COOP Capability

- Plans and Procedures
- Essential Functions
- Delegations of Authority
- Orders of Succession
- Alternate Facilities
- Interoperable Communications

- Vital Records
- Human Capital
- Tests, Training and Exercise (TT&E)
- Devolution
- Reconstitution

## WHEW....Those are a lot of elements!

***WHEW....Those are a lot of elements!***

**Where does a person begin when developing a COOP Plan?**

## Phase 1:  Initiating the COOP Process

- The COOP Process starts with leadership’s serious consideration, then support, of the idea.

## Phase 2:  Doing Risk Analysis/Capabilities Survey

- First, look at the types of threats your agency might face....Floods, fires, severe weather, computer virus attacks, sabotage, pandemic?
- What are the likely results of those kinds of events?
- Power outages?
- Computer failures?
- Radio or telephone systems failures?
- Personnel who can’t reach key facilities?

## Phase 3:  Identifying Essential Functions

***This is the hardest part of the process.  Not every service we provide will be needed in certain emergencies.  Our essential functions become the core of the plan.  What we do from here on will support those essential functions.....***

## Essential functions are the nuts and bolts of the COOP Plan

- They form the basis for determining resource requirements:
- Staff
- Vital information/critical systems
- Equipment
- Supplies and services
- Facilities

## What exactly are Essential Functions?

***Essential Functions are those functions that enable an organization to:***
-  Provide vital services.
-  Exercise civil authority.
-  Maintain the safety of the general public.
-  Sustain the industrial and economic base.

## Essential Functions must first be identified, then prioritized

- Agencies must determine functions that _*must*_ be continued in all circumstances.
- Essential functions include those that:
- Cannot be interrupted for 12 hours.
- Must be resumed within 30 days.

## What NOAA functions are most important during a COOP event?

***The following functions have been identified as having national-level significance:***
- Provide timely observations, forecasts, watches and warnings of severe weather and hydrometeorological and electromagnetic events.
- Provide control and timely access to global environmental data from satellites and other sources to promote, protect and enhance the Nation’s economy, security, environment, and quality of life.

## NOAA’s most important functions (cont.)

- Ensure the Nation’s food supply receives essential protein produced and processed by the fishing industry, provide law enforcement activities to protect and conserve the Nation’s marine resources and support national security emergencies.
- Provide geodetic, hydrographic, oceanographic data and services to promote safe navigation of commerce and transportation.

## Phase 4:  COOP Plan Development, Review, Approval

- Identify work sites and plans that may have to change in an emergency
- Look at who will do what, and when those things will be done

## Phase 5:  Development of Supporting Procedures

- Develop procedures to use to make sure the plan works.
- Discuss how to protect vital information and property
- Decide who is responsible for what, and when they will be given authority to make decisions
- Create plans to provide backup support, called succession plans

## Phase 6:  Training Personnel

- Check the knowledge, skills and abilities of all personnel
- Provide training so everyone is sure they are ready for emergencies
- Train on procedures for emergencies that occur with warning, and without warning
***Training is a key to being ready***

## Phase 7:  Testing the Plan

***How ready are we?***
- Test the equipment
- Exercise abilities to see if we can do what we said we could do
- Carry out drills to make sure that every individual, in all areas, is sure of personal capabilities and personal responsibilities in the event of an emergency

## Phase 8:  Keeping the Plan Up-To-Date

- Conduct drills
- Evaluate drills
- Drills and evaluations will aid us in developing improvement plans and help us change our plan to make it better
***All of this keeps our plan up-to-date, and flexible to change, realizing that we are only as good as our next opportunity to show it***

## COOP Impacts:  What will employees/contractors do during a COOP event?

***During normal duty hours—***
- COOP Team members will depart to their designated alternate sites
- Non-COOP Team members will be directed to proceed to their homes or to other NOAA facilities to await further guidance

## COOP Impacts:  Employees and Contractors

***After normal duty hours—***
- Information on COOP activation will be accomplished through:
- News media announcements
- Management chain and phone trees
- Email
- DOC Employee Information System (EIS)
- NOAA Weather/All-Hazards Radio
- NOAA and OPM websites

## COOP Impacts:  Employees and Contractors

***After normal duty hours—***
- Once notified—
- COOP Team members will depart for their designated alternate sites
- Non-COOP Team members will remain at their homes to await further instruction

## COOP Impacts:  Employees and Contractors

***When not at their workplace, employees should monitor the news media and use NOAA’s toll free number or Employee Check-In System* to report their status and provide contact information—***
- 1.888.NOAA.911, or
- _[www.homelandsecurity.noaa.gov](http://www.homelandsecurity.noaa.gov/)_
****This information can be found on the reverse side of NOAA ID badges***

## COOP Impacts:  How will a COOP event affect employees and their families?

***A viable COOP plan and a family support plan will minimize the adverse impacts of a COOP event!***
- Uncertainty
- Personal and family security
- Job security
- Economic well-being

## Be Responsible.Be Ready.

***YOU NEED TO THINK OF THE FOLLOWING AS THE MOST IMPORTANT TO-DO LIST YOU WILL EVER TAKE ON***
**Officials tell us that in the event of a disaster, we need to be prepared to be self-sufficient for 3 to 5 days.**
**Remember—it will be easy to do these things  now, but almost impossible after the fact**

## Be Responsible.Be Ready.

***Put a Disaster Kit together containing provisions that will allow you and your family to be self-sufficient in your home for 3-5 days:***
- Water—One gallon per person, per day
- Food—Ready-to-eat canned food; high energy food like peanut butter, granola bars and trail mix; treats like cookies, cereal, tea, coffee; canned juices

## Be Responsible.Be Ready.

***(Disaster Kit continued):***
- Flashlight and extra batteries
- Battery-powered radio and extra batteries
- First-aid kit including scissors
- Medications, both prescription and over the counter
- Special needs for infants and others who require individual health and safety items

## Be Responsible.Be Ready.

***(Disaster Kit continued):***
- Trash bags with ties
- Blankets, sleeping bags
- Soap, Toilet paper, bleach
- Credit cards and cash
- Change of clothes for each member of the household

## Be Responsible.Be Ready.

## Be Responsible.Be Ready.

***Put a Portable Go-Kit ******together*****—**If you have to leave your house in a hurry, you won’t have time to pack.  You should have all of the items listed previous for your ‘Disaster Kit’, just in smaller amounts.  AND, you should have important papers and documents in a portable and secure container.

## Be Responsible.Be Ready.

***Have a plan and hold a family meeting*****—**Every family member will have responsibilities and needs to be on the same page.  Make sure everyone knows what to do.  Talk about how to leave your house if you need to get out fast.

## Be Responsible.Be Ready.

***Pick a meeting place*****—**What if you’re at work, the kids are at a friend’s house and your spouse is running errands.  Have a pre-arranged meeting place in addition to your home where you can find each other.

## Be Responsible.Be Ready.

***Arrange for an out-of-town connection*****—**Sometimes local telephone communications are knocked out before long-distance lines are.  Pick an out-of-town relative or friend to be the contact person for everyone.

## Be Responsible.Be Ready.

***Print Important Information Cards for all family members*****—**make sure everyone in your family has one with them at all times.
***Know how to shut off water, gas, electricity and any other utilities in your home*****—**Gas leaks are just one of the dangers.  If you have to turn everything off, make sure you know how.

## In Conclusion

***Disaster can strike without warning.***
***Planning what to do in advance is an important part of being prepared.******  ***

## In Conclusion

***COOP planning means we might need to do fewer things.***
***It means we might do things at a new location.***
***It means we might do things with different personnel.***

## In Conclusion

***What we get in the end is a real plan for keeping our people safe, our agency still working and our recovery safe and effective as we resume normal operations.***