EMERGENCY PLANNING & BUSINESS CONTINUITY MANAGEMENT

Emergency Planning and Business Continuity Management

Emergency Planning and Business Continuity Management

Introduction

Emergency Planning and Business Continuity Management means many different things to many different organisations. The necessity to understand the main fundamentals and implications have in the past been highlighted in so many areas of the world, from the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers World Trade Centre in the United States of America to the other spectrum of flooding of Local businesses and shops in Shrewsbury in the United Kingdom. Needless to say both impacted massively on all parties regardless of financial holdings or commitment.

Understanding the fundamentals of Business Continuity Management and Emergency Planning is paramount. Although looking at both of these terms, is there really much difference between them? Both Business Continuity Management and Emergency Planning create a means of complimenting each other to ensure that a business continues to operate effectively in extreme circumstances. However the interpretation of these two terms can be defined as two pronged counter measures trying to achieve the same results. A definition of Business Continuity Management is `A holistic management process that identifies potential business impact that threaten an organisation and provides a framework for building resilience with the capability for an effective response that safeguards the interests of its key stakeholders, reputation brand and value creating activities`. (Business Continuity Institute 2006). Yet a definition of Emergency Planning is ` A framework or strategy to counter a serious incident and reduce serious disruption of life which causes or threatens death or injury to numbers of people, extensive damage to property or, contamination of the environment`. (London Emergency Services Liaison Panel (LESLP). These two chosen definitions can be interpreted as the same or integrated procedures, however to scrutinise them and evaluate where the end priority and emphasises lays upon is clearly the Business Continuity Plan, steering more directly towards the Stakeholders and the latter definition on a broader outcome in general.

With these two separate definitions and to identify where the Security Risk Management can be integrated into the process and outcome is diverse. Security Risk Management is a key element to these two definitions and the probable initiation trigger to implement both Emergency Planning and Business Continuity Management. Understanding the risk and its definition `a combination of the probability of an event and its consequences`. (ISO/IEC Guide 73) is the complimentary tool to ensure all can be achieved in gaining the final result.

Discussion

If we look back in time over the centuries, initially Continuity Management and Emergency Planning was possibly created unknowingly by the Military in battle preparation and strategic planning. Therefore the core of Business Continuity Management and Emergency Planning was Security orientated from the outset. Through the centuries war was big business itself therefore these procedures and business planning and management ethics became employed on a wider scale and with a more diverse approach in business. The fundamentals have never changed with businesses being as competitive as war without the physical ...