IS-546 Continuity of Operations (COOP) Awareness Course

Lesson 1: What Is A Special Event

Lesson 1: Course Welcome and Course Overview

Lesson Overview

Continuity of Operations (COOP) is a Federal initiative, required by Presidential Directive, to ensure that Executive Branch departments and agencies are able to continue to perform their essential functions under a broad range of circumstances.

This lesson will introduce COOP. At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

Describe what COOP is and define COOP terms.
Describe DHS’s role in COOP planning.
List the benefits of COOP planning.

What Is COOP?

COOP is an effort within individual departments and agencies to ensure continuity of their essential functions across a wide range of emergencies and events.

Americans have come to rely on the government for many essential services, from airport security and air traffic control, to Social Security, veteran’s benefits, and Medicare payment processing.

To ensure that Federal agencies are able to continue their essential functions, then-President Clinton signed Presidential Decision Directive 67 (PDD-67) requiring all Executive Branch departments and agencies to develop Continuity of Operations—or COOP—plans.

PDD-67 required all Federal Executive Branch departments and agencies to develop plans in response to all hazards and a full spectrum of threats:

Natural
Manmade
Technological
National security emergencies

Today’s threat environment makes COOP planning even more important. As such, FEMA has issued Federal Preparedness Circular 65 (FPC-65), which incorporates the topics addressed in previous PDDs and includes more specific and detailed guidance regarding COOP capabilities.

The objectives of COOP planning are to:

Ensure the performance of an agency’s essential functions during a COOP event.
Reduce loss of life by minimizing damage and losses.
Ensure the successful succession to office in the event a disruption renders agency leadership unavailable to perform their responsibilities.
Reduce or mitigate disruptions to operations.
Ensure that agencies have alternate facilities from which to operate.
Protect essential facilities, equipment, vital records, and other assets.
Achieve a timely and orderly recovery from a COOP situation.
Achieve a timely and orderly reconstitution from an emergency and resume full service to internal and external customers.

This course will provide an overview to COOP requirements and the planning process.

COOP Scope

COOP planning includes the activities of individual departments and agencies and their subcompartments to ensure that their essential functions are performed.

Governments at all levels have a fundamental responsibility to provide uninterrupted essential services to the public, regardless of circumstances.

COOP planning must incorporate a wide range of emergencies and events, whether natural, manmade, or technological in nature.

COOP Activities

COOP activities include:

Plans and procedures to ensure that essential functions are performed. Plans and procedures may include delegations of authority, orders of succession, notification procedures, and check-in procedures at the alternate facility.
Tests, training, and exercises essential for ensuring a viable COOP capability. Tests, training, and exercises (TT&E) should cover all COOP plans and procedures.

DHS’s Role in COOP

Under the Government reorganization following the attacks of September 11, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) became the lead Federal agency for COOP planning. DHS, in turn, delegated its responsibility as lead agent to FEMA.

FEMA is responsible for:

Issuing COOP guidance.
Promoting understanding of and compliance with COOP requirements in FPC-65.

FEMA’s Office of National Security Coordination (ONSC) is DHS’s implementing organization for its COOP lead agent responsibilities.

Benefits of COOP Planning

COOP is a good business practice. COOP planning is part of the fundamental mission of governments as responsible and reliable public institutions. Today’s changing threat environment and recent emergencies—including localized acts of nature, accidents, technological emergencies, and military or terrorist attacks—have increased the need for COOP capabilities and plans.

The private sector also does COOP planning but refers to it as Business Continuity Planning—or BCP.