Frequently Asked Questions

Required by Presidential Directive, Continuity of Operations is a federal initiative that ensures agencies can continue essential functions in the event of a disaster. While this may be the first time you have ever heard the term "continuity of operations," it has been apart of U.S. government since the Cold War. President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued an executive order for a plan to be in place for the continuance of operations in the event of a nuclear war. Since the initial Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP), the concept has expended. Now, governors across the country (including our own) have issued directives for all state agencies to have a COOP. To verify the comprehensiveness of these plans, they are carefully reviewed by the Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP).

For a more in-depth training on continuity of operations, please attend the one hour, web-based FEMA course IS-1300: Introduction to Continuity of Operations. Other training opportunities are also included in the "Training & Exercise" section of this site. 

Your natural instinct may be tempting you to pronounce it like Co-Op, but really it's COOP, as in chicken coop.

Participating in the Continuity Working Group is easy and more fun than you may think. For approximately one and a half hours, COOP coordinators from each state agency gather to address questions, concerns,  best practices, and lessons learned. This meeting is also a place for generating ideas to strengthen plans and strategize how to effectively tackle the task of creating and updating a successful COOP.

All you need to do to partake in the collaborative approach to continuity is get on the email distribution list by contacting Madison Boss at mboss@utah.gov. Once you are on the list, you will get important COOP updates and calendar invites to each quarterly meeting.

Since the Governor issued the COOP directive in 2012, all state agencies should already have a plan developed. However, in some circumstances, it may be necessary to create a brand new plan (e.g. if a division has decided to create a COOP, or if there has been a significant reorganization in your agency). If you fall into this category, have no fear, DEM is here to assist. Reach out to Madison Boss at mboss@utah.gov for assistance. 

Regardless of when you receive the assignment to update/create your agency's COOP, it is always due on July 31. If extenuating circumstances arise, you may contact Madison Boss via email at mboss@utah.gov to discuss any necessary arrangements.

Also, it is important to remember you are not alone in this planning journey. Not only do you have DEM at your immediate disposal, there are seasoned COOP coordinators who can also help if you are feeling the pressure of the time crunch.

Congratulations, you have completed your COOP! Now it is time for you to turn it into Madison Boss via email at mboss@utah.gov for him to review to ensure it meets the requirements for EMAP before he sends it to the Governor's Office. Before you do though, remember to convert your plan to a pdf. If you used Word, simply click "Save as" then select the "Save as a pdf" option. If you used Google Docs, go to "File" and click "Download as" and select "pdf." It is advisable to view your pdf document because occasionally formatting can change upon conversion. Also, don't forget to include your EMAP checklist that indicates where essential criteria can be found in your plan as well as your After Action Report.

After dedicating so much time to your COOP you may be ready to let it rest and collect dust until it's time to update it next year. However, having a plan is only effective if leadership and employees know there is plan, how to locate it, what's in it, and what their role is.

Here is what needs to be done in the interim:

• Practice your plan every year.  You can do this by holding a tabletop exercise, or even a full scale exercise (ideas can be found under the "Training & Exercise" section of this site).  You may participate in an annual COOP group exercise, or you may hold your own exercise in your office with your staff COOP Team. Many agencies hold a COOP exercise in their office in conjunction with the annual ShakeOut  exercise held the third Thursday of April each year. 

• After you exercise your plan, create an After Action Report and revise your COOP with lessons learned as well as other annual updates.

• Once your plan is updated, share an overview with your agency employees. One helpful way to share an overview with your agency is to simply share two pages of your plan - the quick-reference cover page and your Table of Contents. A best practice is to present those two pages to your entire staff, then offer to answer any questions they may have about specific items in the plan. These overviews can be shared during annual all - staff meetings or by webinar.  Commonly, the overviews take about 20 minutes, depending upon how many people in your office have questions.