National Continuity Programs H1N1 Influenza Preparedness Summit FEMA National Continuity Programs (NCP) Mission: “To serve the public by protecting our Nation’s constitutional form of government” Vision: “The Nation’s center of excellence for government continuity planning, guidance and operations” * FEMA NCP supports the DHS Secretary and FEMA Administrator by conducting DHS lead agent responsibilities for coordinating continuity operations and activities of executive departments and agencies. * FEMA NCP provides planning, guidance, training, exercises, assessments and operational support to ensure Federal, State, territorial, tribal, and local governments can continue their essential functions under all conditions. How prepared is your organization to function under pandemic conditions? What would you consider to be your overall readiness to continue operations during a pandemic? • No Progress • Limited Progress • Moderate Progress • Substantial Progress • Objective Achieved How does pandemic planning differ from traditional continuity of operations planning? Pandemic Planning vs. Continuity Planning • Unlike traditional Continuity planning considerations, pandemic influenza may be widely dispersed geographically and will potentially arrive in waves that could last several months at a time. • Organizations are encouraged to establish an annex to their Continuity plans to ensure that additional considerations during a pandemic to are adequately addressed. Continuity Baseline Planning Assumptions * Susceptibility to pandemic influenza virus will be universal * The clinical disease attack rate will be 30 percent in the overall population during a pandemic * Absenteeism will fluctuate between 30-40% during the peaks of the pandemic waves * On average, each infected person will transmit the virus to two other people * Epidemics will last six to eight weeks in affected communities * Multiple waves are expected, lasting two to three months each Based on the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Implementation Plan, May 2006 Essential Functions • How will our organization sustain its essential functions during an influenza pandemic? • Have we identified skills, and personnel needed to continue essential services and functions? • Have we identified how non-essential functions will be temporarily or otherwise phased out if necessary? Orders of Succession • Have we established orders of succession for all levels of leadership? • Does our organization publish, maintain, and circulate established orders of succession that are at least three deep per responsibility and geographically dispersed, as appropriate, to take into account the expected rate of absenteeism? Delegations of Authority • Has our organization established delegations of authority? • Do our delegations of authority take into account the expected rate of absenteeism? Continuity Facilities • What criteria does our organization consider in deciding how to utilize its primary and alternate facilities during a pandemic? • Has our organization developed and implemented a plan to identify adequate alternate worksites (e.g., home or other adequate alternate worksites that maintain social distancing measures), as appropriate, to assure capability to maintain essential services for up to several months during a pandemic? Continuity Communications • How will we ensure that our organization maintains communications capabilities at the onset and throughout the duration of a pandemic? • Have we developed and implemented mechanisms to communicate relevant information to internal and external stakeholders during a pandemic? Vital Records Management • How will our employees access and share vital records, files, and databases during a pandemic? • Have we identified and developed plans to ensure access to vital records needed to sustain operations that may be inaccessible remotely from alternative worksites? Human Capital • Have we created and implemented workforce guidelines to prevent or minimize workplace exposure to contagious diseases? • Has our organization identified and or developed alternative work arrangements, e.g., job sharing, flexible work schedules, telework, and modifying shift schedules? Test, Training, and Exercise • What test, training, and exercise (TT&E) activities are we using to prepare our organization to perform its essential functions during a pandemic? • Has our organization conducted pandemic influenza-related exercises to examine the impact of a pandemic in performing essential functions? Devolution of Control and Direction • What plans has our organization made to devolve or shift operational control of essential functions to another geographically separated office? • As appropriate, has our organization developed and incorporated detailed guidance for possible full or partial devolution of command and control responsibilities as a strategy to sustain essential functions during a pandemic? Reconstitution • How do we plan to inform all employees that the pandemic is over? • Do we have a plan for employees unable to return to work due to sickness or death? • Does our organization have a process to assess the sufficiency of resources to commence reconstitution efforts? Key Pandemic Flu Websites U.S. Government • www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu • www.flu.gov • http://www.fema.gov/government/coop/index.shtm • https://government.hsin.gov/ Nongovernmental Organizations • Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) – www.astho.org • Infectious Diseases Society of America – www.idsociety.org • National Foundation for Infectious Diseases – www.nfid.org • Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies – www.iom.edu • World Health Organization (WHO) – www.who.int/en Federal Executive Boards (FEBs) • FEBs are a forum for communication and collaboration among Federal agencies outside of Washington, D.C. • There are 28 FEBs throughout the ten FEMA Regions • Go to http://www.feb.gov/ to locate the FEB nearest you Points of Contacts National Continuity Programs Directorate * Ann Buckingham, Acting Assistant Administrator (202) 646-4516 ann.buckingham@dhs.gov Continuity of Operations Directorate * Rex Wamsley, Director (202) 646-2897 rex.wamsley@dhs.gov * Eric Kretz, Deputy Director (202) 646-3754 eric.kretz@dhs.gov State, Territorial, Tribal, and Local Branch Assistance * James Opaczewski, Chief (202) 646-4128 james.opaczewski@dhs.gov * Calvin Hicks (202) 646-4521 calvin.hicks@dhs.gov Federal Branch * Matthew Smith, Chief (202) 646-3685 matthew.smith@dhs.gov * Amanda Rittenhouse (202) 646-7975 amanda.rittenhouse@dhs.gov Questions?