PHSKC Business Continuity (BC) Tabletop Exercise

1. PHSKC Business Continuity (BC)Tabletop Exercise Wednesday, October 29, 2008 Rooms 1311 and 1312 8:30 A.M. - 10:30 A.M.

2. Agenda – Get Ready for Winter • Introduction • Business Continuity (BC) Overview • BC Exercise Objectives and Ground Rules • Winter Weather Scenario • Debrief and Evaluation

3. Exercise Design Team • Dee Totten, Preparedness BC • Whitney Taylor, Preparedness Consultant • Dennis Worsham, RHO • Byron Byrne, EMS • Jim Henriksen, EH • Vivian Stevenson, CHS

4. Business Continuity (BC)Overview

5. Planning: a Circular ProcessBusiness Continuity is also called COOP, COG

6. Business Continuity (BC) Plan BC Plan Components: • Leadership line of succession (LOS) and Delegation of Authority • Mission Critical Services, Functions, Programs (SFPs) • Plan Activation / Implementation Steps • Decision Making and Prioritization

7. Business Continuity (BC) Plan Mission Critical Services, Functions, Programs (SFPs) • Priorities 1 through 4 • Prioritization criteria • Consistent with King County guidance • Requires careful assessment and flexibility before and during an event

8. Business Continuity (BC) Plan BC Plan Components: • Leadership line of succession (LOS) and Delegation of Authority • Mission Critical Services, Functions, Programs (SFPs) • Plan Activation / Implementation Steps • Decision Making and Prioritization

9. Business Continuity (BC) Plan Plan Activation • Who can activate the Department’s BC Plan (and who should be notified) • What factors are considered to determine if activation is necessary • How activation occurs (concept of operations)

10. Business Continuity (BC) Plan BC Plan Components: • Leadership line of succession (LOS) and Delegation of Authority • Mission Critical Services, Functions, Programs (SFPs) • Plan Activation / Implementation Steps • Decision Making and Prioritization

11. Business Continuity (BC) Plan BC Plan Components: • Alternate Processes / Facility Relocation / Temporary Suspension of SFPs • Recovery and Resumption • Logistics Support • Plan Maintenance, Training and Exercises

12. Implementing Business Continuity During an Incident

13. Implementing BC During an Incident BC Function will be managed as an Operations Section within the PH EOC

14. BC Role in an Incident BC Roles: • Support Planning Section in collecting impact assessment data (facilities, infrastructure, staff) • Assess functionality of mission critical SFPs

15. BC Role in an Incident BC Roles: • Develop recommendations for LHO / Chief of Staff: • Identify options for reducing services to free up staff for response roles • Propose solutions for maintaining Department functions through tele-work, flex scheduling, alternate facilities • Recommend temporary suspension of functions • Develop a prioritization plan for restoration of services

16. Questions?

17. Disasters Happen…

18. BC Exercise Ground Rules • Facilitated Discussion • Open dialogue - no wrong answers • Everyone is encouraged to contribute • Accept the scenario • Don’t try to solve problems here – identify what works and where we have gaps • We will document outcomes, develop an After Action Report and Improvement Plan

19. BC Exercise Objectives • Discuss ability to implement Department and Division lines of succession (LOS) and delegations of authority. • Evaluate the ability to assess incident impacts on Department services, functions and programs. • Evaluate decision processes regarding prioritizing, maintaining and suspending PHSKC services within and across divisions.

20. BC Exercise Objectives • Assess protocols for communicating with Department staff and the public regarding BC decisions effecting public health services, functions and programs. • Assess how human resource concerns are addressed within Public Health during BC incidents.

21. Scenario – Winter Weather Situation 1 • It’s Monday December 1 • Temperature is currently 34 degrees F. • (Is that a snowflake?) • NOTE: This week… • the LHO is out of the country • the CAO and EH Division Manager are both out of State on vacation

22. Monday, December 1, 10:00 A.M.Weather Forecast Winter weather is forecasted by NWS over the next 48 hours: • High probability of light snow (up to 2”) mixed with sleet and freezing rain across Western Washington • Frozen precipitation will likely begin Monday late night, end early Tuesday morning • A second front will come through Tuesday night with similar conditions, clear by Wednesday morning • Winds should not be extreme, yet saturated soils may contribute to fallen trees in some areas

23. BC Plan Activation Should PHSKC emergency response plans or BC plans be activated at this time?

24. Scenario – Winter Weather Situation 2 Tuesday 6:00 A.M. Media are reporting icy roads in many areas of Seattle and the East Side; very few trees down; 4” snow across South King County • Puget Sound Energy reports 10,000 customers without power in KC • Seattle City Light reports 5,000 customers out • All power should be restored by midnight Wednesday • Many school districts across the county are opening late or are closed for the day • Transit service is VERY erratic

25. Impacts – Information Gathering • How will we determine the status and functionality of PHSKC facilities and supporting infrastructure? • How will we identify the rate of absenteeism across Sections, Divisions, Department?

26. Scenario – Winter Weather Situation 2a Tuesday 6:00 A.M. Initial impacts assessments of PH facilities and supporting infrastructure determine that: • Federal Way: 3” snow, power and phone out, tree down in the parking lot, 1 staff there now • Eastgate: 3” snow, power out, 1 staff there now • North and Northshore: 4” snow and ice, 1 staff at each site • All other PHSKC sites: light snow, functional

27. Scenario – Winter Weather Situation 2a Tuesday 7:00 A.M. The Area Command Center (PH EOC) is activated at the Chinook Building • Tracks department-wide impacts • Manages incident information regarding impacts to healthcare partners • Coordination point for logistical support • Connects HC partners to local EOCs for support (i.e. assist with clearing hospital driveways)

28. Making BC Recommendations to Decision Makers The Acting LHO requests information regarding the status of mission critical services, functions, and programs • What protocols exist to ensure that Leadership positions with appropriate authority are staffed across the Department?

29. Making BC Recommendations to Decision Makers • How will we identify which services, functions and programs have been impacted by this event?

30. Prioritization • How will we determine which mission critical services, functions and programs will remain operational today? • Who will establish Department priorities if multiple Divisions require limited resources to keep mission critical services operational?

31. Communications to Staff and Public As decisions are made to modify or temporarily suspend Department functions: • How are staff and clients informed of the status of PHSKC services and facilities? • Who is involved in developing and delivering these messages?

32. Scenario – Winter Weather Situation 3 Tuesday 4:00 P.M. Similar weather conditions expected for Tuesday night, clearing by Wednesday morning However… Puget Sound Energy indicates that two PHSKC sites (Eastgate and Federal Way) will be without power for several days

33. Human Resources Issues • What Human Resource issues arise with regard to absenteeism and business continuity decisions made Tuesday morning? • What factors must be addressed when sites are inoperable for several days?

34. Debrief and Evaluation

35. Debrief and Evaluation 2008 - 2009 BC Work Plan Items: • Jail Health (develop BC plan in conjunction with DAJD) • ODIR / Admin / Finance / HR (develop BC plan) • Finalize Division BC plans (Prevention, CHS, EH, EMS) • Finalize Delegation of Authority for all Divisions

36. Debrief and Evaluation Which components of the Department’s BC Plan are strong and well developed? What are the top priority BC issues we should focus on through 2008 – 09?