Volume 10,3 Disaster Recovery Journal Articles- Summer 1997

Volume 10, Issue 3
Summer 1997

PPBI Study Shows Need for Private/Public Exchange of Information

By Anne Venters

The majority of private businesses believe that the public sector is important to their business continuity programs, according to findings from a survey conducted by the Private & Public Business, Inc.(PPBI), a nonprofit organization linking the private and public sectors in effective emergency management and disaster recovery planning. Moreover, nearly all respondents indicated interest in gaining more information about the public sector.
The purpose of the study, conducted at the Disaster Recovery Journal conference in San Diego earlier this year, was to establish a preliminary level of understanding regarding the synergy between public and private enterprises within the disaster recovery planning community.
“As the survey findings indicate, there is a very real need to facilitate communications and the exchange of information between the private business continuity community and the public emergency response sector,” said Richard Arnold, publisher of DRJ and president/CEO of PPBI. “The responses also provide valuable insights for PPBI on setting priorities to ensure we help facilitate the interaction needed.”

Survey Findings

Of the nearly 400 surveys completed, 67 percent of respondents indicated that the public sector is a an important part of their business continuity/disaster recovery program. The majority of respondents (58%) also said they have had contact with public sector representatives in regard to their business continuity program planning. Nearly one-half of those surveyed (45%) have experienced specific incidents requiring a response from the public sector. And, the vast majority, 89 percent, favorably rated their experience in dealing with the public sector, giving the public sector between a 3 and 5 on a 5-point-high scale.
While 58 percent said they have been in contact with the public sector during their continuity planning, 79 percent indicated the public sector was important to their recovery process. This 21-percent discrepancy indicates that many individuals who view the public sector as important, have still not made the necessary contacts. As one survey respondent noted, “We haven’t included contact with the public [sector] in our plans mainly because we don’t know how and what benefits it brings. Let’s work this through and get it set up.”
Another respondent enthusiastically stated, “Integration of emergency management sector and business recovery planning industries is greatly needed!” This appears to be a near-unanimous opinion, with 96 percent of respondents indicating they would find access to additional emergency management information valuable. Two-thirds (67%) also indicated their company would be willing to pay a modest fee for such a service.
“There is very strong interest within the private sector to work with and better understand the public sector,” said Tammi Franke, Comdisco vice president and PPBI chairperson. “But there is a lack of consolidated and concise information available to our industry about emergency response.
The public and private sectors also often have different perspectives and even different definitions of disaster-related terms, according to Mr. Arnold. “Each needs to better understand the other, and the first place to start is by facilitating communications,” added Franke.
Tom McQuillan, Director of the International and Industrial Partnership Division of FEMA, supports this view. “There’s a great deal of knowledge we can both bring to the table to help reach a common goal and to mitigate a disaster. The more awareness that emergency management officers in the field have about the private sector, the better they can say, ‘let’s work as a team to meet the same objective and get back into business.’ ”

PPBI Plans

Based on the survey, PPBI has developed a number of short- and long-term plans to improve the understanding and interaction between the private and public sectors. “Many companies already see the need for interaction and communication with the public sector and are reacting to it independently,” said Kenneth Smith, vice president of consulting operations for SunGard Planning Solutions and a member of PPBI’s Research & Evaluation Board. “However, most would welcome additional support and resources to help improve the process.”
To help achieve this, PPBI will publish a white paper this Fall. The paper, jointly developed by the disaster recovery and emergency management communities, will outline the basic principals and terminology of each sector. It also plans to develop a method to electronically distribute critical information to both communities.
Longer term, PPBI plans to develop a credential system in conjunction with the public sector. The credential would allow individuals from the private sector who have completed emergency management training to be recognized by local authorities as knowledgeable about emergency management procedures and to be allowed access to restricted areas at the earliest possible time.
The genesis of PPBI was the severe and prolonged restrictions placed on local businesses during several regional disasters, including Hurricane Andrew and the Oklahoma City bombing. “Through the credential system,” Mr. Arnold said, “PPBI hopes to help organizations gain access sooner, even if it’s just to enter briefly to retrieve some of the materials critical to their business operations.”
PPBI’s mission is to act as a clearing house for the exchange of information between emergency management public agencies and private businesses through communication, training and standards-setting in order to increase awareness of the economic viability of a community as an issue during recovery from disasters.

Anne Venters is manager of product marketing for Comdisco, Inc. and a PPBI Research & Evaluation board member. Comdisco, a technology services company, is one of the world’s leading providers of solutions that help organizations reduce technology cost and risk. The company headquarters are in Rosemont, IL.

|Return to the Summer 1997 Index | Send Email to DRJ |

Webmaster---Robert Arnold

Last Updated--Wed. July 2, 1997.