PSAP COOP Webinar June 28, 2023

Glen Klaich, Presenter

Welcome

• Jim Stromberg, Emergency Communications Coordinator (ECC) with CISA’s Integrated Operations Division
• Jessica Jimenez, NextGen9-1-1 Program Manager, Wisconsin Office of Emergency Communications
• Glen Klaich, Project Manager supporting CISA’s Emergency Communications Division through ICTAP

Project Overview

• Develop a standardized COOP template to assist PSAPs in maintaining grant eligibility
• Build a collaborative network with other communications leaders across the state
• Leverage existing plans to strengthen WI’s communications resiliency

Project Goal

• Prepare you to facilitate the development of COOP for communications centers and Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) across Wisconsin.
• Strengthen your understanding of COOP principles
• Share a COOP template and approach to planning

Basics of Continuity Planning

Section Objectives

1. Understand the objectives associated with a COOP plan
2. Define the typical requirements for a COOP plan
3. Review the main concepts in a COOP plan

COOP Plan Objectives

• Ensure continued execution of mission essential functions
• Reduce loss of life, minimize damage
• Protect essential assets and information
• Provide succession plan for key leadership positions
• Reduce/mitigate disruption to operations
• Plan for a timely and effective recovery

COOP Requirements

• Able to be activated at any time
• Provide for the phased restoration of operations
• Sustain operations for as long as necessary
• Include regularly scheduled training and exercises

Elements of a Successful COOP Plan

• Involve all departments in the plan
• Provide an opportunity for some of the personnel to review the plan and provide input
• Provide awareness training to all personnel annually and role specific training (or possibly mentoring) to those in the lines of succession or key positions
• Conduct exercises annually to test the plan and the knowledge of the personnel about how the plan works
• Preventative maintenance program for the alternate work locations, pre-staged equipment, etc.
• A plan for maturing and improving the plan iteratively over time

Key Terms

COOP Template Walk-Through

Section Objectives

1. Review the main sections and content in a COOP plan
2. Learn key questions to elicit information for each section of the plan

Introduction and Purpose

• Supersedes
• Authorities and References
• Applicability and Scope
• Linkages and Dependencies

Planning Scenarios and Assumptions

• Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA)
• Planning Scenarios
• Assumptions

Concept of Operations

• Leadership, Command, and Control
• Personnel
• Alternate Work Site
• Communications Plan
• Mission Essential Functions and Essential Supporting Activities
• Delegations of Authority – identifies the types of authorities that are important to the plan
• Orders of Succession – identifies replacements to key personnel and recipients of the authorities being delegated
• Critical Information Requirements – details the decision that need to be made over the course of the plan and the information needed to make those decisions
• Devolution – the plan for transferring all authorities should the center no longer be viable

Personnel

• Key Personnel –includes the roles identified in the previous section along with any other roles crucial to the plan
• COOP Teams –defines the different teams needed to execute the different processes when required
• Roles and Responsibilities – assigns responsibilities to ensure everyone knows what is expected of them and to aid in prioritizing efforts
• Staff Augmentation – documents requirements for filling positions using outsourced labor
• Mutual Aid –identifies the position(s), requirements, and potential mutual aid partners which can provide the extra staffing, especially important for positions with specific requirements to fill them
• Transportation, Food, and Lodging – includes policies for how staff will be relocated, fed, and housed during activation

Alternate Work Site

• Location Details – describes the site and its capabilities
• Space Configuration – describes how the spaces should be arranged
• Communications and Technology – itemization of the existing capabilities at the site and the additional capabilities available upon request
• Site Security – describes the capabilities available to maintain and secure the operating environment
• Site Logistics Capabilities – details the capabilities for receiving shipments of equipment

Communications Plan

• Management Communications – describes the mechanisms for maintaining communications among the leadership team
• Employee Communications – identifies the communication pathways and the messages that will be provided to staff
• Vendor Communications – defines the level of transparency to be shared with vendors and any requirements before information is provided
• Media Communications – provides guidance to the PIO regarding the release of information, and to employees if they are engaged by the press

Mission Essential Functions and Essential Supporting Activities

• Mission Essential Functions (MEF) – the activities that are required to fulfill the chartered mission of the department or agency
• Essential Supporting Activities (ESA) – the activities that are required to support the ongoing fulfillment of the MEFs
• Recovery Time Objectives – the maxim amount of time for a MEF or ESA to be restored to an operational state

Operational Phases and Implementation

• Preparation
• Activation and Relocation
• Continuity Operations
• Reconstitution Process
• Plan Management
• Appendices

Preparation

• Prepositioning Resources – a cache of mission critical equipment in a location away from the center
• Drive-Away Kits or Go-Kits–kits with printed copies of the COOP and other important SOPs, processes, etc., along with contact lists, maps, and supplies for the advance team to take as they initiate the relocation process
• Personal and Family Preparedness – personnel need to take their own measures to prepare for an activation
• Preventive Maintenance – the kits and caches of equipment need to be maintained and tested for serviceability on a regular basis

Activation and Relocation

• Decision Making and Initial Actions – provides guidance on how to make the decision to activate the COOP Plan and whether to initiate a full or partial activation
• Alerts and Notifications – identifies the notification details, the recipients, and the person responsible for sending the alerts
• Relocation Process – provides the process for moving all personnel to their assigned AWS, opening the operation, and accounting for the status of all people while in transit

Continuity Operations

• Mission Critical Systems – Each Mission Essential Function will require IT infrastructure, databases, specialized equipment that needs to be documented
• Vital Records and Databases – The records that must be maintained should be identified and a plan set in motion to preserve them
• Communications and Technology – The minimum activation requirements that must be met should be documented along with any special considerations
• Security – identifies the processes required for protecting the health, safety, and emotional well-being of the staff and protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information systems
• Financial Management – includes references to SOPs related to emergency procurement, expense tracking, and other finance related activities
• Continuity of Meetings – documents any meetings that are statutorily required and describes either the process for suspending them or a plan for conducting the meetings while the plan is active

Reconstitution Process

• Decision Making – provides the criteria that must be met before the operation will be migrated back to the primary work site/returned to normal
• Relocation Process –set of processes and procedures for reopening the primary work site and migrating the operation back from the AWS
• After Action Review – describes the process for conducting an AAR and collecting lessons learned
• Remedial Action Plan – identifies the process for using the AAR to identify required changes to the plan and to track the status of the updates to completion

Plan Management

• Planning responsibilities
• Testing, training, and exercises
• Multi-year strategy

Resources

• FEMA EMI IS-1300 Introduction to Continuity of Operations
• NENA Continuity of Operations Plans for PSAPs
• APCO Emergency Communications Center Crisis Response Taskforce