Natural Gas Explosion in Forestville, MD

Having served as a firefighter in Prince Georges County, MD many years ago, my interest in a television news story was peaked last night. Firefighters in PG County responded to a natural gas leak and moments after evacuating the strip mall, it exploded.

Here is the accounting from PG County Fire/EMS:

"At 12:54 PM on Thursday, May 7, 2009, Prince George’s County Firefighter/Medics were dispatched on a call that no one is soon to forget. Firefighters were alerted to respond to the Penn-Mar Shopping Center, a large 1-story strip mall, in the 3400 Block of Donnell Drive in Forestville and arrived at 12:59 PM. First arriving crews initiated an investigation into a strong odor of natural gas inside the businesses. Firefighters evacuated 5 of the 6 stores that were in the area of the odor, a sixth store was vacant. Forty-five people were evacuated from the 5 stores and firefighters then started ventilation efforts and called for assistance of the Washington Gas Company. Firefighters discovered natural gas bubbling up from the ground on the exterior rear of the vacant store and minutes later reported that there was a fire on the interior. Within a minute, at about 1:20 PM, a massive explosion occurred. A MAYDAY call was sounded and additional resources including paramedics and a second alarm of firefighters were summoned to the scene."

Take this time to think about your facility. What if someone smells gas? What are you going to do? Take the time now to review your emergency plan to ensure it properly addresses gas leaks. Ensure the plan addresses:

• prompt alerting of the public fire department and gas company
• warning occupants to evacuate using travel paths that are away from the source of the gas leak
• assembling evacuees at a location safely away from the potential blast zone (the North American Emergency Response Guidebook calls for isolating the leak area for at least 100 meters (330 feet) in all directions.)
• and shuting off the gas (who should shutoff the gas, when is it safe to do so, where is the wrench, and how do you do it).

Video of the incident is linked to the Fox Television in Washington, DC. A YouTube video is also available. A brief audio from engine 826 is available from the PG County Fire/EMS website linked to the title of this blog article.

Pandemic Preparedness

The World Health Organization has raised the current phase of pandemic alert to 5. “Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short.”

The number of infections and severity of illness of this influenza outbreak is hard to estimate at this time. Therefore, it is prudent to review and update pandemic preparedness plans written years ago. This eNewsletter provides guidance on steps that your organization can take to review, update, develop, and exercise a pandemic preparedness plan.

Program Management

Assemble members of your pandemic preparedness team, and review official reports of the swine flu outbreak, guidance from public health authorities with jurisdiction over your facilities, and the status of existing policies, plans, and procedures. Your pandemic team should be lead by senior management to provide direction and support. The heads of operations, legal, communications, human resources, medical, facilities, supply chain, security, environmental health and safety, emergency management, and business continuity or their representatives should participate.

If pandemic preparedness roles and responsibilities have not been defined within your plan, define them now.

Prevention & Mitigation Measures

Now is the time to promote proper personal hygiene by posting and distributing “cover your cough” and hand washing educational literature available from public health authorities. Consider providing hand sanitizers, setting up hand sanitation stations for visitors and or distributing literatures to arriving guests.

Evaluate methods for “social distancing” that may be needed to separate workers and make them more comfortable in the work environment.

Company Policies & Procedures

Review company policies and procedures including travel, sick leave, family leave, and telecommuting.

Prepare to revise travel policies if governmental authorities issue travel advisories. Recognize that employees may resist assignments requiring travel to areas perceived to be at greater risk.

Review sick and family leave policies. Employees that are rewarded for not using sick leave may come to work even though they are ill. Review family leave policies regarding time off to care for sick family members. Consider employees needing dependent (child and elder) care when schools or other facilities are closed.

Test the ability to support large numbers of telecommuters and verify that employees have secure connectivity to work remotely.

Pandemic Preparedness Plan

The pandemic preparedness plan should align with the U.S. and WHO pandemic alert phases. Preparedness activities should be commensurate with the current alert level. Review your planning assumptions and discuss the implications of scenarios that are more severe than the assumptions used for development of your plan.

Pandemic preparedness plans should address the following planning tasks.

• Succession of management; transfer of authority and responsibility
• Coordination with government officials
• Business continuity: Identification of essential business functions and minimum resources to support them; maintenance of supply and distribution chain
• Infection control in the workplace
• Surveillance of employee health; forecasting employee absences
• Sustaining essential employees; employee family care requirements
• Risk communications

Review the succession of management, supervisory and operations staff and your organization’s governance requirements. If managers, supervisors, or key employees are sick or unavailable to work, who can assume their job duties? Review cross training and documentation needed for substitutes to assume the responsibilities of absent employees.

“the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short.” WHO

Assign staff to monitor official instructions from public health and governmental authorities to ensure you have the latest and most accurate information. Subscribe to government mailing lists to receive their latest broadcasts.

Review your business continuity plan to identify critical business functions and the internal and external resources—including people—needed to support them. Evaluate critical suppliers and vendors and their ability to provide continuous service during a pandemic. Carefully scrutinize single or sole sources suppliers and identify backups, if necessary.

Monitor the health and well being of employees and their families. This will enable you to forecast absences and plan for the absences of sick employees or those who must care for sick family members or who must remain at home because of the lack of child or senior care. Review guidance documents on how to support the psychological needs of employees.

Communications during any emergency is critical, so implementation of a risk communications plan is essential. Consider all of the audiences that you need to reach including employees and their families, customers, suppliers, tenants within your buildings, and others. Provide timely, factual information and identify where recipients can obtain additional information.

Training and Exercises

Pandemic preparedness like all aspects of your emergency management and business continuity plan requires training and exercising. Conduct a plan walk-through exercise to familiarize personnel with the plan and their role and responsibilities. Conduct a tabletop exercise to identify any gaps in plans or the ability of team members to carry out the plan. Scribe action items, prioritize, and follow-through to assure that tasks are completed.

Pandemic Planning Resources

• World Health Organization (WHO) Swine influenza page, WHO phase of pandemic alert
• PandemicFlu.gov, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
• Business Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist, PandemicFlu.gov
• HHS Pandemic Influenza Plan Supplement 11 Workforce Support: Psychosocial Considerations and Information Needs
• Pandemic Influenza Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Guide for Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources, U. S. Department of Homeland Security
• Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for an Influenza Pandemic, OSHA 3327
• Influenza Pandemic: Continuity Planning Guide for Canadian Business, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters

All of these resources can be accessed here.

Flood Preparedness

April showers bring May flowers, but they also can cause serious flooding. There have been 1,161 federal disaster declarations for flooding since 1954 and 300 since January 2000. One of six federally declared disasters this decade has been the result of flooding. The economic and human impact is also significant. Flooding causes more damage in the United States than any other severe weather related event—on average $5 billion a year. Over the past 30 years (1978 – 2007), 99 lives have been lost each year in floods.

Flooding is caused when bodies of water (e.g., rivers, streams, lakes, oceans, etc.) overflow their normal boundaries. Flooding can also occur as storm water runoff accumulates in normally dry areas.

Melting snow can combine with rain in the winter and early spring; severe thunderstorms can bring heavy rain in the spring and summer; or tropical cyclones can bring intense rainfall to the coastal and inland states in the summer and fall.

Flash floods occur within six hours of a rain event, or after a dam or levee failure, or following a sudden release of water held by an ice or debris jam.

Flood preparedness begins with site selection. Choose building sites that are not within a 500-year flood zone, not subject to flash foods, and not located where access roads, bridges, and critical infrastructure (e.g., utilities) will be disrupted by flood waters. Flood preparedness for existing buildings includes conducting a flood hazard analysis (risk assessment), mitigating the potential impacts of flood waters, development of a flood emergency plan, and development of a recovery plan to restore damaged equipment and reopen buildings.

Flood Hazard Analysis

There are many resources for assessing flood inundation. Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) can be created on demand from FEMA’s online Map Service Center. Hard copies can be obtained at local municipal offices.

FEMA Flood Insurance Studies provide background information on the development of flood maps and describe the flood history of a community. Consult with local officials about past flooding and development in the vicinity of your buildings. Check the National Inventory of Dams to identify substandard dams that could fail causing flash flooding. Review recent development and changes to drainage or flood control efforts that could increase or decrease the potential for flooding.

The goal of the flood hazard analysis is to identify areas subject to flooding, maximum anticipated flood elevations, and whether flood waters will restrict access to the property or shutdown utilities that are required to run the facility. The maximum flood elevation should be compared to site and finished floor elevations to determine the buildings, storage, machinery, or utilities that could be inundated by flood waters. Keep in mind that flood surveys and flood maps are not perfect, and areas not thought to be subject to flooding are flooded, and “100 year” floods can occur in successive years.

Flood Mitigation

Flood mitigation begins with evaluation of the site’s storm water management. Site layout, grading, and storm-water drainage should be sized and arranged to direct 100 year level flood waters away from important buildings, process equipment, outside storage, and utilities. Protect against soil erosion, and use grates, curbs, or other means to prevent drains from becoming clogged by debris.

Install backflow preventers on discharge lines connected to wastewater and storm-water runoff sewer systems, on floor drains, and any other equipment that have a history of backups.

Protect existing building entry points with barriers to keep water out as long as possible. Install ramps or stairways to go over the barriers. Locate or elevate critical machinery, equipment, and storage above the 500 year flood elevation. Securely anchor outside storage tanks and process equipment that could break away during flooding.

Flood Emergency Plan

A flood emergency plan should be developed for all facilities that are subject to flooding. The plan should address protection of buildings or portions of buildings (e.g., below-grade or first floor) that are below the maximum flood elevation. The plan should also address the relocation, removal, temporary elevation of, or protection in place of raw materials and finished goods, production machinery and equipment, and utilities that could become flooded. Don’t forget to warn employees about the dangers of flood waters and never to drive into flooded roadways.

Ensure that maintenance and engineering facilities, spare parts, and engineering drawings, vital records, and restoration procedures are located in a safe area or relocated prior to a flood. This ensures that resources and information needed to recover from flood damage are immediately available after flood waters recede.

The flood emergency plan should include an organization that vests authority in a leader who is thoroughly familiar with the flood hazard, available resources, and the flood emergency plan. The plan should define roles and responsibilities and actions to be taken when flood watches and flood warnings are issued.

Monitor the National Weather Service’s River Forecasts and local emergency management officials’ forecasts of flooding in the area.

The plan should identify all resources (and how to procure all resources) to prepare for and recover from flooding. This includes the required complement of personnel and material handling equipment to complete flood preparations before evacuation is mandated or flood waters threaten. Periodically verify that all resources are available and in good condition.

The flood emergency plan should include the timing and shutdown procedures for gas and electric utilities, machinery, and equipment and the relocation of movable furniture, equipment, and storage to higher elevation.

A business continuity plan should define strategies and the resources needed to continue critical business operations for the maximum duration of any shutdown.

Recovering After the Flood

The flood emergency plan should also address repair and restoration of damaged buildings and equipment after flood waters recede. Contract for, or procure in advance, generators, pumps, and equipment to remove water, clean up mud and debris, and check and repair damaged utilities and equipment. Document manufacturer’s instructions or best practices for restarting water damaged systems and equipment in the plan, so work can begin as soon as it is safe. Review the “Directories of Products & Services,” “Machinery & Equipment Restoration,” and “Cleanup” resources on the Preparedness, LLC website for access to technical documents and resources.

FDA Recall: ZOLL Medical Corporation AED Plus Defibrillator

If you have AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) in your facility(ies), then you should check to see if you have the ZOLL AED Plus Defibrillator manufactured from May, 2004 through February, 2009 and distributed from May, 2004 through February 9, 2009. These models have been recalled by the FDA because the AED failed to deliver the defibrillation energy.

This device is used by emergency or medical personnel, by others who have completed CPR AED training courses, or the public at large. It is intended to treat patients in cardiac arrest. The device analyzes an unconscious patient’s heart rhythm and instructs the user to press a button that delivers an electrical shock to the heart to restore a normal heart rhythm.

The company sent their distributors and customers an initial recall letter on February 12, 2009 by certified mail. This letter instructed customers to replace their batteries every three years. The company then sent their distributors and customers a follow-up recall letter on March 31, 2009 by certified mail. This letter instructed customers to download new software for their devices and to remove any battery replacement reminder labels.

ZOLL will send an email notice to all customers who included their email address as part of their contact information. ZOLL will also publish information about the recall in industry magazines.

Contact Information

For more information about this recall, please see the company’s website at: http://www.zollaedplusbatteryhelp.com/

ZOLL Medical Corporation 269 Mill RoadChelmsford, Massachusetts 01824, (978) 421-9655

Business Case for Preparedness

National standards, such as NFPA 1600, provide the criteria for developing, implementing, and evaluating an emergency management and business continuity program—a preparedness program. One of the most important elements—the foundation of the program—is management support. Without management commitment, direction, and support, the program is apt to collapse over time because the foundation cannot support the structure.

Management will ask “what is the business case for preparedness?” as they assess how much must to invest in the program. The answer to the question is a blend of good governance, effective risk management, and building resiliency into the organization to ensure the organization can grow and compete over time.

There are many reasons for investing in preparedness:

• Regulatory compliance
• Legal liability
• Insurance program requirements
• Rating agency criteria
• Customer requirements
• Competitive advantage
• Business “resilience”

There are many regulations that require preparedness. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards require emergency action plans and fire prevention plans. Standards for medical treatment, firefighting, rescue, and hazardous materials response may apply depending upon facility location, hazards on-site, and other factors.

Besides OSHA standards, there are many other regulatory requirements that dictate elements of the preparedness program. These include:

• Building codes
• Fire prevention codes
• Life safety codes
• Americans with Disabilities Act and Executive Order #13347
• Environmental regulations
• Information security and privacy regulations
• Industry-specific business continuity requirements
• Homeland security requirements

Beyond regulations, there are many industry “best” practices that should influence or may be the basis for parts of your program.

When an incident results in casualties, third party losses, or customer impact, litigation often follows. The legal perspective continues to be written, but it takes into account foreseeability of hazards, the magnitude of potential impacts, and the standard of care exercised by those who could have prevented or mitigated the incident. The evolving “standard of care” is continually redefined by civil litigation and the national standards that the courts have used to render judgments.

If you’re looking for incentives to make the case for preparedness, insurance cost savings may be one. Well protected businesses with large insurable values are often able to qualify for the competitive rates and favorable policy terms of “highly protected risk” insurance underwriters. Smaller facilities that are rated on a grading schedule may also benefit from enhanced protection.

Standard & Poors announced in 2008 that their rating surveys would look at the ability of a company to recover following an emergency. It remains to see whether this will be meaningful as the 9/11 Commission had intended when it endorsed a national standard for preparedness.

The quest for maximum efficiency has eliminated redundancy and excess capacity. Single suppliers are commonplace as businesses attempt to minimize costs and streamline the supply chain. Unfortunately, these efforts have increased the potential for business interruption. Large and medium sized businesses recognize the vulnerability of their supply chains and the need for their suppliers to implement business continuity plans. Preparedness is now a customer requirement and subject to audit.

Business leaders are motivated by their vision for growth and development of their organization’s potential. They must also be concerned about the expectations of stakeholders. Business “resilience” is an increasingly common term used to describe the ability of an organization to continue to meet its customers’ needs even in the face of interruptions or disruptions. The Council on Competitiveness reported[1] “Leading organizations do not manage specific scenarios, rather they create the agility and flexibility to cope with turbulent situations. The investments and contingency plans these leading companies make to manage a spectrum of risk create a capability to respond to high-impact disasters as well.”

Making the Business Case for Preparedness

There are many factors that should be considered when selling management on the need for preparedness. Connect the need for preparedness with your organization’s mission and vision and management’s goals and objectives.

If a company has experienced a significant event in the recent past, that experience often influences management thinking. If a major incident occurred in the past and the current management team is unaware of it, then a carefully crafted review of the impacts of the incident may help them to understand why preparedness is so important.

If your organization has not experienced a major incident, but one has occurred within a peer in your industry, a review of that incident may resonate with your management. Research “lessons learned” to find case studies.

How much should be invested?

How much to invest in the preparedness program is difficult to define. At the very least, minimum regulatory and customer requirements must be met. If you want to be “best in class,” your program must be dynamic and integrated into day to day operations and management decision making.

A careful assessment of the broad spectrum of risks, vulnerabilities, and impacts; prevention and mitigation strategies; and the scope and implementation of your emergency response and business continuity program will provide you the information needed to decide.

[1] The Resilient Economy: Integrating Competitiveness and Security, Council on Competitiveness, 2007

Emergency Management Forum Hosts Discussion on NFPA 1600 2010 Edition

Updated, 27 February. The Emergency Management Forum hosted a one hour presentation and interactive discussion on February 25, 2009. The topic was the current status of the 2010 edition of the National Fire Protection Association's standard NFPA 1600. Highlights of the proposed changes were presented by Donald L. Schmidt, chair of the NFPA's Technical Committee on Emergency Management and Business Continuity. A recording of the forum (large Windows Media audio file), the presentation slides (Adobe PDF), links to related information, and a transcript can be accessed from the Emergency Management Forum's website.

DHS Announces Revised National Incident Management System

Following a recognized incident management system is a key to effectively managing the response to and recovery from an emergency or disaster. The National Incident Management System (NIMS) was developed after President Bush issued Homeland Security Presidential Directive/HSPD-5 in February 2003. This press release annouces the latest edition of "NIMS." NIMS is used within the public sector, and private sector organizations should be familiar with NIMS and how to work in cooperation with public sector agencies that may respond to their sites or who they may support during an incident. Links to information on NIMS, the Incident Command System (ICS), and available training can be found on the "Resources" page of the Preparedness, LLC website.

"The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today released a revised National Incident Management System (NIMS)-the national standard for incident management. NIMS establishes standardized incident management processes, protocols, and procedures that all federal, state, tribal and local responders will use to coordinate and conduct response actions.

NIMS expands on the original version released in March 2004 by clarifying existing NIMS concepts, better incorporating preparedness and planning and improving the overall readability of the document. The revised document also differentiates between the purposes of NIMS and the National Response Framework (NRF) by identifying how NIMS provides the action template for the management of incidents, while the NRF provides the policy structure and mechanisms for national-level policy for incident management.

"The National Incident Management System has been the single most significant improvement in incident management since the Department of Homeland Security was formed in 2003," FEMA Administrator David Paulison said. "It has enhanced interoperability among emergency responders at all levels of government and is the product of a collaborative effort involving hundreds of emergency personnel from across the nation. We incorporated lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina, clarified incident command system concepts, increased emphasis on planning and mutual aid, expanded the intelligence/investigation function, and better aligned the NIMS document with the National Response Framework," said Paulison.

With the oversight of FEMA, the newly released NIMS followed an extensive revision involving over 100 partners from all levels of government, private sector, nongovernmental organizations (NGO), and subject matter experts representing a broad spectrum of emergency management and incident response disciplines. Throughout three official nationwide comment periods, FEMA reviewed nearly 6,000 comments from more than 280 individuals and organizations, including extensive review and recommendations made by the National Advisory Council (NAC).

The basic tenets of NIMS remain the same. There have been several improvements to the revised NIMS document which will aid in readability and usefulness of preparing, preventing, and responding to incidents. For example, the revised document places greater emphasis on the role of preparedness and has reorganized its components to mirror the progression of an incident. Recognizing the importance of private sector partners and NGOs in incident response, FEMA has ensured that those entities have been more fully integrated throughout NIMS. The new document is consistent with the NRF, and together they provide a single, comprehensive approach to incident management."

WORLD AT RISK: The Report of the Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 I was asked to coauthor a book to provide guidance to the private sector on the subject of terrorism and how to protect employees, facilities, and operations. The book, "Business at Risk How to Assess, Mitigate, and Respond to Terrorist Threats," is still current today and it provides a wealth of information. That's why this report immediately captivated my interest.

Frankly, with the economic climate, businesses are looking to survive financially and are largely unable to focus on the threat of terrorism. I argue that managing the potential impacts of natural, man-made, and technological hazards—including terrorism—needs to be integral to the planning of every business. Sound emergency management, business continuity, and crisis management programs are an essential part of that planning.

If something significant happens, how prepared will businesses be?

WORLD AT RISK: The Report of the Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism

"The Commission believes that unless the world community acts decisively and with great urgency, it is more likely than not that a weapon of mass destruction will be used in a terrorist attack somewhere in the world by the end of 2013.

The Commission further believes that terrorists are more likely to be able to obtain and use a biological weapon than a nuclear weapon. The Commission believes that the U.S. government needs to move more aggressively to limit the proliferation of biological weapons and reduce the prospect of a bioterror attack.

The Role of the Citizen

A well informed and mobilized citizenry has long been one of our nation’s greatest resources. The next administration therefore should, within six months, work with state and local governments to develop a checklist of actions that need to be taken to improve efforts at all levels of government to prevent WMD proliferation and terrorism. Citizens should hold their governments accountable for completing this checklist.

Insufficient effort has been made to engage the public in the prevention of WMD terrorism, even though public tips have provided clues necessary to disrupt terrorist plots against the homeland. We need to give our citizens guidance on what to expect from their government at all levels and on how to be engaged in the prevention of WMD terrorism.

RECOMMENDATION 13: The next administration must work to openly and honestly engage the American citizen, encouraging a participatory approach to meeting the challenges of the new century."

Title IX of Public Law 110-53: Updated Resource Links and Presentations

I have updated the Resources page within the Preparedness, LLC website to include links to the text of Public Law 110-53,"Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007," the text of Title IX of the law, DHS/FEMA resources, and a link to ANAB. ANAB is the organization that will develop program guidelines for the "certifying bodies" that will actually evaluate and accredit the private sector preparedness programs.

In addition, you can view PDF copies of presentations to the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association and the NorthEast Disaster Recovery Information X-Change, which provide background on Title IX of PL 110-53 and NFPA 1600, which is one of the standards that may be used as criteria for evaluation of private sector preparedness programs.

Voluntary Private Sector Preparedness Accreditation & Certification Program

Title IX of Public Law 110-53 (“Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007”) requires the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop a voluntary private sector preparedness accreditation and certification program. DHS was charged with tasks to establish the program including:

• Designate one or more organizations to act as an accrediting body
• Designate one or more standards for assessing private sector preparedness
• Provide information and promote the business case for voluntary compliance with preparedness standards

Since the law was passed in August 2007, DHS has designated FEMA Administrator Paulison to administer the program and chair the Private Sector Preparedness Council. The council includes leadership from the Science & Technology Directorate, Office of Infrastructure Protection, and the Private Sector Office.

DHS has signed an agreement with the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) to develop and oversee the certification process, manage the accreditation, and accredit qualified third parties to carry out the certification in accordance with the accepted procedures of the program.

ANAB has organized its “Committee of Experts” to advise ANAB on the qualifications of the “Certifying Bodies” that will accredit qualified third parties. Don Schmidt, CEO of Preparedness, LLC and Chair of the NFPA 1600 Technical Committee, is a member of the ANAB Committee of Experts along with representatives from other standards developers and private sector industry representatives.

DHS has not yet formally designated any standards for assessing private sector preparedness under this law, although DHS’ Science & Technology Directorate has adopted NFPA 1600. At the October ANSI Homeland Security Standards Panel plenary meeting in Washington, officials stated they are not picking a “winner” and that all reasonable standards will be included. DHS, however, has privately informed ANAB to begin work using NFPA 1600.

DHS has also published an initial draft of their “target criteria,” which will be used to select standards for assessing private sector preparedness. The “target criteria” for selecting standards includes:

• A scope and/or policy statement.
• Identification and conformity with applicable legal, statutory, regulatory and other requirements.
• Objectives and strategies.
• Hazard and threat identification, risk assessment, vulnerability analysis, and impact analysis.
• Incident management, strategy, tactics, operational plans and procedures.
• Communications and warning.
• Training.
• Resources management and/or logistics.
• Assessments, audits and/or evaluation of programs.
• Program revision and process improvement including corrective actions.

These “target criteria” align almost exactly to the elements within NFPA 1600. Accordingly, we will discuss each of these criteria within upcoming newsletters.

Although this program is voluntary, businesses are watching closely. Whether they choose to seek certification or not, business leaders are evaluating their preparedness program. In the end, that’s what it’s all about—protecting employees, property, business operations, the environment, and the business entity itself.

Canadian Standards Association unveils new emergency management and business continuity standard

Toronto, October 8, 2008, Canadian Standards Association - "More than 40 per cent of Canadians say the company where they work does not have an emergency plan in place according to a recent study[1]. Canadian Standards Association (CSA), a leading developer of standards and codes, today officially announced a new emergency management and business continuity programs standard, CSA Z1600, which is designed for private and public organizations of all sizes to use if disaster strikes. This new standard is based on the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1600 Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs standard."

As chair of the NFPA 1600 technical committee, I am excited and pleased to see the release of CSA's Z1600 standard. I know that members of the CSA technical committee have worked very hard to produce this standard for Canada. Congratulations to all of them on their accomplishment.

Z1600 is an adaptation of NFPA 1600, which in its 4th edition, is the most widely used emergency management and business continuity standard in the United States. NFPA 1600 is also used in many countries around the globe. The CSA technical committee's work is impressive, and the NFPA 1600 technical committee has taken a liking to the ordering of Z1600. In fact, at the NFPA 1600 "Report on Proposals" meeting in August, the NFPA 1600 technical committee voted to reorder the elements within NFPA 1600 similar to the new ordering of Z1600. The CSA committee builds on the work of the NFPA technical committee, and the NFPA technical committee returns the favor. This is truly a relationship that is productive for both the United States and Canada and a model of how standards organizations can work together to produce quality standards for both private and public sectors.

I will be providing some updates on NFPA 1600 in the coming months as NFPA publishes the official "Report on Proposals" draft of the 2010 edition of NFPA 1600. The ROP draft will incorporate many changes to 2007 edition. I will also provide a link, so that readers can download the ROP draft and provide their comments for the technical committee's action. If you want more information on NFPA 1600 and the handbook written by technical committee members including yours truly, please check out this link.

1 Leger Marketing conducted an online survey among 1,088 working Canadians aged 18+ on their opinions of major disasters in their community. The margin of error for a sample of this size is +/- 3.0%, 19 times out of 20.