“Keep the Courts Open”

“Keep the Courts Open” Surviving Successfully: Planning for Success

Presentation Overview • Practical Steps for Successful Preparedness Planning • Examples of Hurricane Damage and Lessons Learned/Reinforced • Technology Disaster Planning • Appendix: Preparing for an Influenza Pandemic

“Keep the Courts Open” Practical Steps for Successful Preparedness Planning

Justice Anstead Justice Wells Justice Pariente Justice Lewis Leadership Leads • We must deal with crises in a way that protects the health and safety of everyone inside our facilities • We must “keep the courts open” to ensure justice for the people Chief Justices of the Florida Supreme Court, 9/11 to Present

Dedicate Staff • Emergency Coordinating Officer (ECO) • Public Information Officer (PIO) • A branch-wide ECO and PIO • Alternates for each ECO and PIO

Get Connected • Homeland security • Emergency operations • Law enforcement • Fire and rescue • Health officials • Media

Establish a Local Policy Group • Local group to develop local policy • Who is the decision maker(s)? • What are your mission essential functions? • Where is your alternate facility? • Who performs the mission essential functions at the alternate facility? • Membership from all relevant stakeholders • Means to develop policy given the multiple players and multiple constitutional officers In Florida this group is referred to as the Court Emergency Management Group (CEMG).

Develop an Operational Team • Judges, officials, and staff who will actually perform the mission essential functions if the COOP is activated • Must be provided (or must maintain) all the resources necessary to perform their assigned mission essential functions • Resources agreed to be provided by the alternate facility • The CEMT members maintaining “black-bags” • Pre-positioning resources at the alternate facility • Must have a family disaster plan In Florida this team is referred to as the Court Emergency Management Team (CEMT).

Develop Two Types of Plans • Administrative and Emergency Procedures • Continuity of Operations Plans (COOP)

Initial Response to Emergencies Will be Outlined and Should be Followed Based on the Administrative and Emergency Procedures An Individual or Group will make an Initial Assessment as to Whether or Not the Primary Facility Needs to be Closed Does Emergency Cause the Closure of Primary Facility? Immediately No Yes Handle the Emergency Situation as Outlined in the Administrative and Emergency Procedures Yes Is the Length of the Closure Minimal and Acceptable? No Address Emergency and Resume Full Operations in Primary Facility Address Emergency and Resume Full Operations in Primary Facility COOP Administrative and Emergency Procedures Emergency Pending or Occurs A copy of this PowerPoint is available at www.flcourts.org (Click on “Emergency Preparedness”)

An Individual or Group will Assess Whether or Not Full Operations in the Primary Facility can be Reconstituted within 30 Days of COOP Activation Activate COOP and Begin the Process toward Performance of Mission Essential Functions in a Predetermined and Temporary Alternate Facility Can Full Operations in Primary Facility be Reconstituted in 30 Days? Immediately Yes No Immediately Begin Efforts to Reconstitute Full Operations within 30 Days in a Long-Term Alternate Facility Perform Mission Essential Functions under the COOP on a Temporary Basis Perform Mission Essential Functions under the COOP on a Temporary Basis Transfer Back into Full Operations in the Primary Facility Full Operations in a Long-Term Alternate Facility Initiated within 30 Days Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) COOP A copy of this PowerPoint is available at www.flcourts.org (Click on “Emergency Preparedness”)

Templates to Help Develop the Two Plans Administrative and Emergency Procedures • Checklist for Administrative and Emergency Procedures • Decision Making Guide • Employee Directory • Family Disaster Plan • Agency Directory Continuity of Operations Plans • Mission Essential Functions • Alternate Facilities • Continuity of Operations Plan Copies of these templates are available at www.flcourts.org (Click on “Emergency Preparedness” then click on “Planning Templates.”)

Checklist for Administrative andEmergency Procedures • Medical emergencies and other life safety events • Building evacuation plan/procedures • Shelter-in-place procedures • Development of bomb threat policy • Hurricane, tornado, floods, and other natural disasters/events • Fire, smoke or explosion within or outside the facility • Suspicious substances within or outside the facility • Chemical, biological or radiological threat within or outside the facility • Power outage • High profile cases • Demonstrations or disturbances outside the facility • Other procedures, as determined necessary

Decision-Making Guide

Employee Directory

Family Disaster Plan • Check out the national resources, for example • www.ready.gov • www.redcross.org • Check out your state resources, for example • www.floridadisaster.org (Florida) • www.mema.state.md.us/MEMA/index.jsp (Maryland) • Check out your local resources, for example • www.tallytown.com/redcross/ds/ (Leon County, FL) • www.co.ba.md.us/index.html (click on “Emergency Preparedness) (Baltimore County, MD)

Agency Directory

Mission Essential Functions Prioritize functions from highest priority to lowest for the following time periods: • Must be performed given a ONE DAY disruption • A. ____________ Staff: _____, _____, _____ • B. ____________ Staff: _____, _____, _____ • C. ____________ Staff: _____, _____, _____ • Must be performed given a disruption > ONE DAY and < ONE WEEK • Must be performed given a disruption > ONE WEEK and < ONE MONTH

Alternate Facilities

Continuity of Operations Plan • This Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) establishes guidance to ensure the execution of the mission essential functions for the (Name of the Circuit/District) in the event that an emergency in (Name of Circuit/District) threatens or incapacitates operations, and the relocation of selected personnel and functions to an alternate facility is required. Specifically, this plan is designed to: • Ensure that the (Name of the Circuit/District) is prepared to respond to emergencies, recover from them, and mitigate against their impacts. • Ensure that the (Name of the Circuit/District) is prepared to provide critical services in an environment that is threatened, diminished, or incapacitated. • (Others as necessary) A sampling from the 11 page COOP-EZ template available at www.flcourts.org (Click on “Emergency Preparedness” then click on “Planning Templates.”)

“Keep the Courts Open” Examples of Hurricane Damage and Lessons Learned/Reinforced

Examples of the Impact of Hurricane Ivan M.C. Blanchard Courthouse in Pensacola Florida

Examples of the Impact of Hurricane Ivan Justice Barbara J. Pariente visits Pensacola to Review the Response to Hurricane Ivan

Examples of the Impact of Hurricane Dennis Santa Rosa County Courthouse in Milton Florida

Examples of the Impact of Hurricane Wilma Hendry Courthouse in LaBelle Florida

Examples of the Impact of Hurricane Wilma Broward Courthouse in Ft Lauderdale Florida

Examples of the Impact of Hurricane Wilma Lawson E. Thomas Courthouse Center in Miami Florida

Lessons Learned/Reinforced • Leadership must make emergency preparedness a priority • Leadership must establish clear strategic goals • Leadership must dedicate staff to the initiative • Staff must get the courts connected into the existing emergency management network • Staff must coordinate with all relevant stakeholders • Staff should develop practical planning tools to assist in the development of policies and plans • Staff must address information technology and records issues • Staff must implement redundant means of communication

“Keep the Courts Open” Technology Disaster Planning

What is the number 1 thing Technology Needs? • Electricity!!! Technology can’t run without it • Plan on how to operate when you have no power. • Plan on having alternate sources of power (generator, batteries, etc) where needed • Plan on how to recover operations when power is restored. This issue tends to be the number one problem in recovery of technology operations.

Flexibility • It is hard to plan for every possible emergency, but look to the most likely situations you would run into for your geographic/demographic area as a good starting point. • Volcanoes, hurricanes, riots, tornados, lightening, construction, strikes, virus attack, disgruntled employee, acts of temporary stupidity etc.

Recovery • If you don’t back your data up, recovery is impossible. Have a solid backup plan. • Send copies off site • Multiple copies of critical data and software • Maintain detailed documentation of configurations

Updates • Put scheduled reviews and updates into your plan • Time based such as bi-annually • Incident based – after each catastrophic event

Priorities • Establish a priority list of applications so you know where your recovery efforts should be focused. • Based on established time standards, rules, and operating procedures. • Establish a chain of command for technology staff for various objectives and tasks.

Disaster Prevention • Develop standard operating procedures for daily operations to make recovery more efficient and timely. • Develop and implement education classes on securing data and physical security as well as protection procedures during an imminent disaster.

“Keep the Courts Open” Appendix: Preparing for a Pandemic

Planning Efforts related to Pandemic Influenza • Florida State Courts Strategy for Pandemic Influenza • Endorsed March 29, 2006 • Statewide training event held on June 26, 2006 in Orlando • Purchase of emergency supplies • Coordination with the Florida Department of Health and other stakeholders is ongoing A copy of the Strategy is available at www.flcourts.org (Click on “Emergency Preparedness”)

Elements of the Florida State Courts Strategy for Pandemic Influenza • Seven planning tasks with detailed subtasks • A process flowcharting the specific steps and decisions for responding to an influenza pandemic • Short-term and long-term tactical objectives • Reasserted strategic policy goals A copy of the Strategy is available at www.flcourts.org (Click on “Emergency Preparedness”)

Leads to Leads to Leads to Relationship Between the Elements of the Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Improved Capacity to Achieve the Strategic Goals Improved Capacity to Achieve the Tactical Objectives Improved Capacity to Implement the Process Complete the Seven Planning Tasks A copy of the Strategy is available at www.flcourts.org (Click on “Emergency Preparedness”)

Questions or Comments FYI, some questions we hope you don’t ask: • Has every Florida state court fully developed their plans? • Has implementation been like making sausage? • How have the Florida State Courts addressed NIMS compliance? • How do courts access DHS funds? • Which, if any, ESF do the courts fit into? • How do courts ensure they can protect their records? • Are the courts really that important in an emergency response? Contact Information: Greg Cowan 850-922-5460 or 850-509-1578 cowang@flcourts.org Jannet Lewis 863-534-4676 jlewis@jud10.flcourts.org Additional Information: www.flcourts.org(Click on “Emergency Preparedness”)

“Keep the Courts Open”