Continuity of Operations: Issues to Consider When Planning for Pandemic Flu

1. April Lawless, MPH Continuity Program Coordinator, Arizona Department of Health Services lawlesa@azdhs.gov 602-542-2976 Continuity of Operations: Issues to Consider When Planning for Pandemic Flu

2. Ensure the continuation of essential functions of an agency during an incident. With flu, the incident is ongoing so it changes some of the planning considerations. Plan for staff shortages over time. What is COOP? Continuity of Operations Planning

3. Overall Agency COOP defines overall operational strategy and incident command structure for managing the pandemic. Agency COOP defines the 7 Agency Critical Business Functions (24 hours). Ensuring Continuity of Operations During A Pandemic: ADHS COOP

4. ADHS COOP components and related planning considerations: • Identify and define critical business processes, applications and hardware • Outline standard operating procedures for critical processes, applications and hardware. • Prioritize processes based on dependencies between processes, applications and hardware • Consider Maximum Allowable Outage (MAO); the amount of time a process can be out without causing harm to the business or customers.

5. Sustain essential services and functions due to work force reduction, social distancing policies andrelated issues. Family Care Planning Establish social distancing policies within the agency Explore and document telework options Restrict/reduce non-critical travel Review and/or establish employee compensation and sick-leave policies unique to a pandemic ADHS Pan Flu COOP Components (cont.)

6. Guarding vaccine distribution chains and sites Providing protective services to ERs, treatment shelters and triage centers during medical surges. Providing additional security to CI components such as utilities and telecommunications. Providing emergency assistance to special needs populations (elderly, hearing or visually impaired and/or non ambulatory. Potential New Service Demands

7. Enforcing closure orders, travel limitations and restrictions on gatherings. Enforcing quarantine orders, mandatory isolations orders and others. Policing civil disturbances and disorders related to forced vaccination, quarantine shortage of medical care, etc.. Assisting healthcare facilities with security for delivery of essential goods to quarantined areas. Potential New Service Demands (cont.)

8. Issue #1: The legal authority to impose, and the responsibility and authority of law enforcement to enforce, orders during public health emergencies involving containment, isolation or quarantine of civilians; closures of schools and public facilities; declarations of curfews; prohibitions on travel Issue #2: Law enforcement’s use of force in conjunction with these orders an legal authority for other actions. Potential Legal Issues in a Pandemic

9. Ensure critical and essential process staffing. Update all staff contact information including home address, home phone and email, work phone and email and emergency contact information. Identify positions, skills, personnel (teams) for critical and essential processes. Identify division/department heads (team leaders) and at least 2 back-up staff with similar skills/authority. Explore ideas for tracking employee absenteeism. ADHS Pan Flu COOP Components (cont)

10. Telecommuting, Swing Shifts, Flex Time, Authorize Overtime, Reduced hours, reassignment, cross-training of personnel Supplemental Staffing: Volunteers Reserve Officers Auxilary Personnel (early training necessary) Retired Officers Police Cadets and/or Candidates Sworn Officers from Mutual Aid Private Sector Staffing Options

11. Identify back-up personnel for critical and essential processes and cross-train if necessary. Assess the ability of your agency/business to transfer authority and responsibility for critical processes from primary to alternate staff. Establish delegations of authority ahead of time. Establish lines of succession to prepare for absences of those in key leadership positions. ADHS Pan Flu COOP Components (cont)

12. Examine signed contractor agreements and/or supply chain networks. Identify adequate alternate work sites and needed equipment and resources for site operation. Develop a communication plan for managers, employees and contractors. Disseminate reliable pandemic flu information and HR policies. Educate employees on flu prevention measures in the workplace. ADHS Pan Flu COOP Components (cont)

13. RESOURCES: • www.stopthespreadaz.org • www.azdhs.gov/flu • www.flu.gov • Pandemic Influenza Preparedness, Response and Recovery, Guide for Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources • http://www.flu.gov/plan/pdf/cikrpandemicinfluenzaguide.pdf • http://policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&article_id=1239&issue_id=82007