Innovations in Managing Risk and Resiliency
Game of Thrones and Business Continuity – How to survive even if you are not the mother of dragons? Julia Halsne Manager of Business Continuity
Seasons and Episodes
• Fire and Blood • Baby Dragons are Born • Breaker of Chains • The Dance of Dragons • Blood of My Blood • Dragonstone • The Bells and the Iron Throne EBMUD Service Area
Treatment System • 3 inline WTPs • 3 conventional WTPs
Distribution System • 4,200 mi of pipeline • 170 reservoirs • 125 pumping plants • Elevation from sea level to 1,450 feet • 122 pressure zones • 155 mgd demand • ~380,000 services • 1.4 million customers
East Bay Municipal Utility District Overview
• EBMUD provides wastewater treatment for 680,000 of its 1.4 million water customers (“west of hills”) • Wastewater is collected in large diameter interceptors from seven satellite communities – Alameda – Albany – Berkeley – Emeryville – Oakland – Piedmont – Stege Sanitary District Wastewater Interceptor System
• EBMUD – 29 miles of gravity interceptors – 8 miles of force mains – 15 pump stations – MWWTP, plus 3 WWFs
• Satellites – ~1,600 miles of regional collection system – ~1,600 miles of private sewer laterals
Wet Weather Facilities District Mission
Manage the natural resources with which the District is entrusted; to provide reliable, high quality water and wastewater services at fair and reasonable rates for the people of the East Bay; and to preserve and protect the environment for future generations.
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Evolution of the Program Catalysts for Changes - Fire and Blood • Loma Prieta - 1989 • Oakland Hills Fire – 1991 • Hurricane Katrina – 2005 • Boston Water Emergency - 2010 • Christchurch Earthquake -2011 • Napa Earthquake – 2014 • Elk River Chemical Spill - 2014 • Butte Fire – 2015 • Flint Water Crisis – 2016 • Oroville Dam Crisis - 2017
• Camp Fire - 2018 9
A Program Starts – Baby Dragons are Born
• Program Initiation • Manager Appointed • BC Team Established • Policy and Program Metrics District Priorities
• Life safety: Protection of human life takes precedence over all other considerations.
• Incident stabilization: All efforts of the District’s response will be directed towards controlling the causes of the incident or emergency so that the emergency does not expand and the situation is contained. • Protection of the environment and property: The response strategies used to control the emergency will minimize, to the degree possible, the impact to the environment and attempt to prevent property damage.
• Restoration of Service: Provide recovery and continuation of mission essential functions including management of water supply, operations, treatment and distribution and wastewater collection, operations, treatment and discharge, and financial management – reimbursement, revenue, payroll, accounts payable and receivable. 11
Emergency Management vs. Business Continuity
• Emergency Management – Mitigate threats to life, property, operations, and/or environment – Recover operations • Business Continuity – Continuity and recovery of services critical to the organization and customers
12 Response, Continuity and Recovery
Emergency Operations Focus Business Focus • Pipeline and Aqueduct • Information Systems Repair • Employee Benefits • Operations of Water Pumping Stations • Treasury • Water Treatment and • Procurement Distribution • Payroll • Wastewater Conveyance and • Accounts Payable Treatment and Receivable • Redistribution of resources • Internal and External based on priorities Communications
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Breaker of Chains - BC Manager Role
• Provide a District-wide Orientation to Program and Plans • Review all plans to ensure a consistent approach, standards, and guidance • Identify gaps, vulnerabilities and dependencies • Facilitate solutions and resolve conflicts in expectations • Provide training and exercise support • Member of the EOT command staff • Coordinate Alternative Work Location and Business Recovery in emergencies • Report status to Senior Management Team and Board
14 Key Initiatives
• District-wide Approach to Recovery • District-wide Alternative Work Location Plan • Deployment Standards • Emergency Communications Systems • Emergency Supplies and Deployment • Fuel Mitigation Response Plan • Supply Chain Management Plan 15
The Dance of Dragons
• Employee Care • Communications Systems • IT Systems • Revenue and Fiscal Management • Alternative Work Sites • Critical Vendors
16 Awareness, Training & Exercises
• Starts with onboarding and new employee orientation training • Executives on down – performance plans • Keep it fresh – flash cards • Promote awareness –Business Continuity Awareness Week/National Preparedness/Earthquake Preparedness Month • Track corrective action tasks – automated reminders • Use lessons learned to improve program
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Blood of My Blood Recent Successes
• Succession Plan for Board of Directors • Exercise and Training Program • District-wide Recovery Process and Authorities • Deployment Guidelines • Alternative Work Location Plans for Critical Functions
18 Blood of My Blood
• ICS for Field Staff – Training and Documentation • Activation, Emergency Notification Procedure, and All Clear • Communication systems and reaching staff at various facilities and in the field 19
Emerging Issues – Dragonstone
• Public Safety Power Shut Offs • America Water Infrastructure Act Public Safety Power Shutoffs
• Preemptively shut off power in high risk areas • Criteria and notification/coordination • Duration and response
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What is the District doing?
• Working with PG&E, regulators, and industry groups • RFP for Generators • Air Quality Index Monitoring • Created an internal webpage to identify alternative work options for AQI >150
22 Critical Infrastructure Act 2018
• All Hazards Approach to Risk and Resilience Assessments – malevolent and natural hazard threats • Emergency Response Plans • Enforcement by USEPA • Penalties up to $25,000/day for non- compliance with specific due dates
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How is the District Responding?
• Compile all the various programs and projects • Summarize the various plans, procedures, documents, and publications • Gap Analysis • Update the Emergency Operations Plan
24 Summary – Bells and the Iron Throne
• The program is continually evolving and improving with ongoing support from management team • Business continuity is integrated with emergency preparedness and emergency response • The program is designed to support employees and the organization to prepare, respond and recover successfully after an event 25
Any Questions?
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