Every September, we join the nation in celebrating National Preparedness Month. For those of us who remember the early days of 911, it's remarkable to see how far we've come—from pencil and notepad to advanced systems that are the backbone of emergency response.
When disaster strikes, our 911 centers must continue to function despite potential impacts to local infrastructure and workforce. A Continuity Of Operations Plan (COOP), outlines how essential functions, known as Primary Mission Essential Functions (PMEFs), will be sustained within 12 hours and for up to 30 days, ensuring that we can still receive and dispatch emergency calls, coordinate with other services, and provide vital information. While 911 centers are masters at keeping all the plates spinning day to day, during a COOP event some of those plates will need to be sacrificed in order to provide our PMEF’s.
The COOP was established under the Presidential Policy Directive / PPD-8 in 2011, focused on strengthening the security and resilience of the United States against significant threats, by either natural events or adversaries, domestic or foreign. With 911 centers playing a key role in several mission areas, it’s essential that our COOP plans be regularly trained on, evaluated, and refined to keep them effective.
As we observe National Preparedness Month, let’s renew our commitment to strengthening our COOP plans. This ensures that even in the face of disaster, our 911 centers remain capable of serving our communities effectively.
For more information and training on COOP, visit FEMA's Emergency Management Institute or refer to the Contingency Planning Guide for Federal Information Systems: CNSSI 4009-2015 and NIST SP 800-34 Rev. 1.
By Jon Stueve ORCEMS
Jon has over 30 years of experience in public safety communications. He holds an Advanced Telecommunications and Supervisor certificates through the State of Oregon, as well as the Continuity of Operations Practitioner (COOP) and the Telecommunicator Emergency Response Taskforce (TERT) certifications through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
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