Post Sandy Manhattan Blackout

Services Available

Resiliency Related Organizational Structure Assessment
Are you optimizing the natural synergies between your operational risk management functions? Whether your organization’s complexity and related regulatory demands require part time or multiple full time staff to address these areas, an independent assessment by credentialed experts can build efficiency and increase the effectiveness of your plans and programs including:

  • Safety & Health
  • Emergency Response/Management
  • Business Continuity
  • Physical Security
  • Alignment with IT/Disaster Recovery
  • Emergency Communications
Incident Readiness Rsponse

Clients are provided with an assessment that reports on the strengths of their current staff and program, as well as any opportunities to address gaps that may exist and methods to optimize synergies.

Business Value-

  • Optimizes internal synergy of operational risk functions
  • Improves effectiveness of internal staff
  • Aligns elements that advance business resiliency

Emergency Communications Plan Assessment & Optimization including Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS) & Wireless Priority Service (WPS)- This includes review of client eligibility, Point of Contact selection/orientation or serving as Alternate Point of Contact for GETS/WPS.

Will your organization have communication capabilities during a significant disruption to help you sustain and/or quickly recover your operations?

Business Value-

  • Determines and establishes eligibility for GETS/WPS based on Department of Homeland Security guidelines and local emergency planning
  • Limits internal resources needed to ensure robust alternate emergency communications
  • Is a critical support element to planning and response programs

Business Incident Readiness Assessments- Operations and facilities are surveyed and assessed by experienced/credentialed business continuity professionals. Exposures to natural and man-made events that could disrupt operations and employees are reviewed. Infrastructure, communications and employee/management readiness is evaluated through physical surveys and interviewing department and facility management. A report or presentation is then provided. This assessment is a great start in documenting a baseline and providing future direction to operational preparedness and continuity programs.

Business Value-

  • Provides documentation on workforce readiness and the current status of operational response and recovery
  • Provides a snapshot report regarding the capability of business infrastructure to withstand unexpected events
  • Summarizes IT & telecommunications availability, contingency plans and recoverability
  • Provides a foundation for developing a robust continuity and recovery program
Incident Readiness Rsponse

Emergency Procedure Review, Development and Exercising- Current emergency procedures are reviewed by a Certified Emergency Manager, experienced in developing basic to best practice level procedures. Jurisdictional requirements as well as applicable NFPA guidelines are taken into consideration. An outline of prudent procedures is presented to management and final procedures are reviewed and finalized. As necessary in leased facilities, property management is consulted with to ensure that the procedures meet or exceed their requirements and have their support. Training is then formalized and delivered in live or remote sessions. Training can also be made available through advanced learning management systems to provide on demand delivery options.

Services in regards to the exercising of Emergency Procedures can range from being an independent exercise observer and providing findings to further improve existing procedures and/or compliance matters, to facilitating an all-employee all-response-team exercise with senior executive sponsorship. Public sector first responders can also be integrated into exercises based on the maturity level of client’s existing continuity/emergency management program.

Business Value-

  • Empowers employees and department/facility contingency plan owners
  • Meets or exceeds employee life safety and related regulatory requirements
  • Societal benefits through building management, neighborhood and community response and recovery partnerships
Incident Readiness Rsponse

Initial Response Team Needs Assessment, Development and Exercising- Often combined with a review of a client’s emergency procedures, the capabilities and readiness of existing Initial Response Teams are evaluated to ensure prudent response is available to on-site events that may require First Aid, CPR, AED, and initial fire extinguisher use. This is to ensure prudent action prior to the arrival of local fire or emergency medical service personnel. Based on client needs, this training can include addressing specific on-site hazardous materials, emergency utility shut-down and/or Psychological First Aid (disaster trauma).

Business Value-

  • Improved employee and guest life safety via enhanced initial action during medical incidents and coordination with public sector First Responders
  • Promotes improved public relations (societal value), through advancing partnerships with public first responders that may be dispatched to address internal medical, fire, hazardous material and other events
  • Reduction of property loss through prudent training of teams in the use of fire extinguishers, proper emergency utility shut down and related activity
  • Adds to the employee’s value to their neighborhoods and communities through corporate-taught emergency skills

Business Continuity Plan Review and Exercising-We will review existing plans with a Summary Report Card to management on the following:

  • Emergency Procedures
  • Life Safety
  • Crisis/Media Communication
  • Business Continuity
  • Contingency
  • Pandemic/Contagious Disease
  • Threat Response
Incident Readiness Rsponse

Testing or exercising of plans, including emergency procedures, emergency response team protocols and business continuity plans, can be facilitated using recognized exercise categories including the following:

  • Life Safety (evacuation and check-in, duck, cover, & hold, tornado sheltering, active shooter, etc.)
  • Plan Walkthrough (tabletop)
  • Customized scenario-based walkthrough via PowerPoint
  • Functional exercise, with or without technology and with or without public sector responders

Feedback will be collected from all parties taking part in the exercise with results documented and a Summary Report provided to management.

Business Value-

  • Improving Employee life safety for evacuations, shelter in place and other initial actions
  • Protection of reputation and brand, based on practicing of event scenarios and internal/external news releases
  • Support and advance channel partner and supplier value by demonstrating resiliency and related reliability
  • Enhance stakeholder value through demonstrated continuity of operations exercises of critical processes including IT and telecommunications
  • Delivery of recovery and service resumption times during challenging periods to make a positive impact on customers and post event customer retention and referral