DISASTER RECOVERY 
JOURNAL

P. O. Box 510110
St. Louis, MO 63151
(314) 894-0276 
Fax: (314) 894-7474
Internet www.drj.com 
E-mail drj@drj.com

PUBLISHER &
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Richard L. Arnold, CBCP
richard@drj.com

SENIOR EDITOR
Janette Ballman
janette@drj.com

MANAGING EDITOR
Jon Seals
jon@drj.com

ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Ed Pearce, CBCP
ed@drj.com

COPY EDITORS
Richard Sandhofer
richards@drj.com
Pamela Clifton
pamelaclifton@hotmail.com

ADVERTISING 
Robert Arnold
bob@drj.com

_____________

Corporate

President/CEO
Richard L. Arnold, CBCP
richard@drj.com

Vice President 
Robert Arnold
bob@drj.com

CONFERENCE COORDINATOR
Patti Fitzgerald, CBCP
patti@drj.com

CONFERENCE REGISTRAR
Merce Knese
mercedes@drj.com

CIRCULATION
Laura Baugh
laurab@drj.com

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
Jeff Dato, MBCP, KPMG
John Jackson, IBM
Edward S. Devlin, E.S. Devlin & Associates
James Hammill, CBCP, JMH Consulting Inc.
Pat McAnally, SunGard Availability Services
Brian Turley, Strohl Systems
Belinda Wilson, Hewlett-Packard


INTERNATIONAL
CONTACTS
England: Thom Hetherington
Business Continuity 
Phone: 0161-237-1007
thomh@tempus.demon.co.uk

Australia: Anthony J. Harvey
Journal of Business Continuity
Phone: 0011-613-953-0055-8
fax: 0011-613-953-0528
sector@notability.com.au

Japan: Shinji Hosotsubo
Quake Japan Co., Ltd.
Phone: 03-3215-2880
fax: 03-3215-2881

Brazil: Jose Carlos Ferreira
Disaster Recovery Mercosul
Phone: 55 11 3666-9506
conc2000@uol.com.br
www.drms.com.br

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NEWCOMERS

Volunteer to Expand Your Knowledge

By BRIAN JILEK, ABCP, ARM, ChFC

Perhaps you drew the shortest straw. Maybe you didn’t step backwards fast enough when volunteers were called. Or maybe you are a glutton for punishment and volunteered for this worthy assignment.
I fell into the last category in June of 2001. I worked as a business analyst within the information technology (IT) department of a Fortune 500 firm. I was looking for a change in responsibilities, and I talked to a potential manager who said they wanted a “business recovery coordinator.” I didn’t know what that was, but hey, it sounded exciting.
My task involved preparedness for an entire line of business that ran the gamut of opportunity – service providers, outsourced work, internal processing, some plans already well written, other plans lacking.
In the fall of 2001, I took the DRI International (DRII) DRP 901 class. And, in January 2002, I received the DRII Associate Business Continuity Planner (ABCP) certification. As I studied the 10 professional practices in the DRP 901 class, I realized my “day job,” (while complex, busy and always exciting) didn’t address much beyond one or two practice areas. I aspired for the next level of Certified Business Continuity Planner (CBCP), and decided I couldn’t wait for the job to expand beyond one or two areas. My goal was to seek opportunity and expand my career.
Here are some ideas I have found and followed for learning and expanding professionally:
1) Network: Join a local industry group. When I couldn’t find one locally, I found some other willing individuals and we started a local chapter of the Association of Contingency Planners (www.acp-international.com). We’re growing, networking, branching out into our respective communities, meeting new people and providing new avenues for professionals to meet one another, learn, and keep in touch. Disaster Recovery Journal offers a listing all of the groups in each edition of the magazine (pages 102-103) and on their Web site (www.drj.com). Your local group may be a chapter of the ACP or it maybe unaffiliated.
2) Learn: Read everything you can get your hands on and attend industry events. Aside from the magazine you’re reading, Disaster Recovery Journal also holds two conferences each year. They are the largest and most comprehensive conferences in the industry. DRII also offers courses at DRJ and at several other locations throughout the year. You can check their schedule on page 85 or visit the DRII Web site (www.drii.org). … Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) offers a number of online courses that people can take and become certified through www.fema.gov (I recommend the Incident Command System (ICS) basic overview). Additionally, ask your manager for stretch assignments – projects within other professional practice areas to expand your knowledge, experience, and capabilities.
3) Do: Your local branch of the American Red Cross Emergency Services could always use a few good planners. The American Red Cross also offers a number of classes and education on disaster services.
Local schools can also benefit from your efforts. Call the local superintendents and volunteer your services. Even if it’s not an area of your current proficiency, this does not mean that it’s not a possible opportunity.
Communities (cities, counties, etc.) may also have focus and planning groups that ensure the community is up to task should the need arise. Investigate your local government to see what opportunities may be available.
Best of luck, and have fun. Get engaged, and hit that learning curve with some momentum. Make sure to enable yourself with a full toolbox of business continuity planning experience and knowledge in order to assist your employer in minimizing disruptions to their business, mitigating risks, and continuing to succeed!

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