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Continuity Planning for Pandemics and Widespread Infectious Diseases

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Continuity Planning for Pandemics and Widespread Infectious Diseases What is a Pandemic? Contact Information A pandemic is a global outbreak of disease that For more information, please contact FEMA National occurs when a new virus emerges in the human Continuity Programs. For FEMA Region-specific population, spreading easily in a sustained manner, information, contact the appropriate Regional and causing serious illness. An epidemic describes Continuity Manager from the list below. a smaller-scale infectious outbreak, within a region or population, that emerges at a disproportional FEMA Region Location rate. Governments and organizations must prepare to continue their essential functions during FEMA HQ National Capital Region widespread infectious disease outbreaks and include Region I CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT specific mitigation measures in their continuity of operations plans. Region II NJ, NY, PR, VI Where is Pandemic Information Available? Region III DC, DE, MD, PA, VA, WV • The World Health Organization Region IV AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/en/ • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Region V IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI www.hhs.gov/ Region VI AR, LA, NM, OK, TX • Center for Disease Control and Prevention www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/index.htm Region VII IA, KS, MO, NE Region VIII CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY About FEMA’s National Continuity Program Region IX AZ, CA, HI, NV, Pacific Territories Continuity Planning for Serving as the Nation’s center of excellence for Region X AK, ID, OR, WA continuity planning, guidance, and operations, FEMA National Continuity Programs (NCP) Pandemics and Widespread executes its vision to ensure essential functions of Regional offices may be contacted via: Infectious Diseases government continue at all levels. Our mission is to [email protected] safeguard the implementation of Executive Branch Website continuity and assist the continuity planning Continuity news, tools, guidance, and other useful National Continuity efforts of federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial resources may be found on FEMA’s website at: government and non-governmental stakeholders www.fema.gov/national-continuity-programs. Programs to sustain the continuous performance of essential functions and critical services under all conditions. Continuity Updates July 2018 To accomplish this, NCP provides guidance, To receive free continuity e-bulletins, register at: technical assistance, planning, training, and www.fema.gov/subscribe-receive-free-email-updates. workshop support to other Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and FEMA components, federal departments and agencies, state, local, territorial, and tribal (SLTT) governments, and other members of the whole community, to include private sector owners and operators of critical infrastructure. How Does Pandemic Affect the Nation? Orders of Succession and Delegations of Authority: the actions they should take to avoid spreading A pandemic may cause severe impacts to an Ensure orders of succession are three-deep and infection to their colleagues. organization’s ability to perform its essential account for the expected rate of absenteeism. Tests, Training, and Exercises: Test, train, and functions. Whether because of the onset of symptoms, Communications and Information Systems: exercise capabilities, to include telework, to maintain the need to care for stricken family members, or the Consider the need for additional laptops, essential functions for extended periods of time. desire to avoid public areas to decrease exposure telecommunications, network capacity, and mobile to the disease, the ability or willingness of large devices to enable employees to perform essential How Can I Find Training on Continuity numbers of the population to move about in public functions from remote locations. Planning for Pandemics? will likely be severely curtailed. Pandemics are rare, Essential Records Management: Test, review, FEMA NCP developed the Determined Accord but likely to cause travel restrictions, business and and update essential records, databases, and Workshop, as well as two independent study courses, school closures, and significant economic impacts. systems. These resources will need to be available IS 520: Introduction to Continuity of Operations The National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza, electronically to employees who are teleworking or Planning for Pandemic Influenzas and IS 522: recommends organizations plan for a 40 percent located at alternate sites. Exercising Continuity Plans for Pandemic Course. absentee rate for about two weeks at the height of a Alternate Locations: Consider the impact the The workshop and courses assist organizations in pandemic, with lower levels of staff absent for a few pandemic may have on logistical support services addressing planning considerations for a pandemic. weeks on either side of the peak. and infrastructure systems at alternate locations. Please visit the Emergency Management Institute Teleworking may be an alternative to ensure social Independent Study site page below for course Continuity Planning Considerations for descriptions: http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/IS/ Pandemics and Widespread Infectious distancing, though information technology staff will need to evaluate whether systems can accommodate courseOverview.aspx?code=IS-520. Disease Outbreaks the volume of staff envisioned to telework. To learn more about Determined Accord deliveries Pandemics and widespread infectious disease Human Resources: Provide employees with near you, or to request a copy of the workshop, outbreaks demand a different set of continuity information and advisories about the disease please contact your Regional Continuity Program planning considerations. Disease outbreaks may outbreak. Promote guidance developed by health Manager. NCP has also developed a Pandemic be widely dispersed geographically, impact large and safety authorities to include infection control, Influenza Continuity of Operations Plan Template numbers of the population, and could arrive in waves to assist in establishing continuity pandemic plans. lasting several months at a time. personal hygiene, social distancing techniques, and travel restrictions. Consider the need to cross train Organizations are encouraged to establish a pandemic employees to ensure availability of staff to perform Continuity Guidance Circular and annex to their existing continuity plans to ensure essential functions. Where appropriate, provide Continuity Resource Toolkit they adequately address conditions specific to contact telephone numbers for staff using telework or The Continuity Guidance Circular (CGC) serves as a disease outbreak, including increased absenteeism, alternate locations. resource for organizations to appropriately integrate social distancing procedures, and impacts on and synchronize continuity efforts and can be used interdependencies. Devolution: Consider full or partial devolution in the event a disease outbreak renders leadership and key staff as a reference when developing continuity plans, This brochure lists the elements of a continuity plan incapable of performing essential functions. Maintain programs, and processes. The CGC can be found at: from Federal Continuity Directive 1 and identifies www.fema.gov/continuity-guidance-circular-cgc. additional pandemic-related considerations. situational awareness of the health status of key personnel throughout the pandemic so prompt devolution action A supporting Continuity Resource Toolkit provides Program Management, Plans, and Procedures: may be taken should critical staff become ill. examples, tools, and templates for implementing Establish additional continuity program planning each chapter of the CGC. In the future, FEMA objectives and procedures to assist organizations in Reconstitution: Consider a plan to replace employees will continue to build and distribute tools and ensuring performance of their essential functions unable to return to work. Establish procedures in during a pandemic. conjunction with public health authorities to ensure information to assist organizations develop and facilities are safe to resume operations, including maintain a successful continuity program and plan. Essential Functions: Consider performance of measures to guard against the spread of disease The Toolkit can be found at: https://www.fema.gov/ essential functions beyond 30 days and the impact within the workplace. Personnel returning to a work continuity-resource-toolkit. disease outbreak may have on interdependencies and facility should be provided specific instructions for supply chains..
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