Federal and State Continuity Planning

Both the state and federal government continuity. Both levels of government are concerned about ensuring the continuity of essential services amidst a wide range of emergencies (Briscoe 9). In government terms, this is referred to as continuity of operations (COOP). Correspondingly, the governments have a continuity of government (COG) plan. The COG ascertains that government operations continue to run unaffected by disasters. Both governments aim to ascertain the response to disasters is immediate to minimize the effects. Again, both have access to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). FEMA aids both the local and federal governments in mitigation activities.

Conversely, the federal and state governments have differences. Concerning structure, the federal government is headed by the president, who is in charge of the Enduring Constitutional Government (ECG) (Briscoe 9). Correspondingly, the three branches of the government are part of the ECG, whose succession must be orderly. By contrast, the state governments have varying structures depending on the state. However, they are still under the federal government, which has a substantial amount of control over state emergency operations.In terms of resources, the federal government has more resources regarding IT, finances, and people given its nationwide reach. State governments partly rely on the federal government to access such resources. However, the state governments also mobilize their resources to meet their goals, which must be in line with federal requirements.

Government and Business Continuity Planning (BCP) Tenets

The government and businesses have similar priorities. In both, emergency planning exists to ensure that business operations are recovered within the shortest time (Briscoe 8). Recovery of the business operations leads to the creation of continuity plans, whose focal point is resuming business operations. The government aims to restore normalcy especially after big disasters like hurricanes take place. Equally important is maintaining normal government operations. In essence, the panning aims at protecting the people and government operations. Equally, the BCP is tailored to mitigate and recover from any disaster. Similarly, in both cases, Information technology (IT) is useful. The government uses IT and other facilities in recovery planning. The businesses liaise with other companies in addition to using its facilities. The government also has facilities, which are spread throughout the country.

There are differences between government and BCP tenets. Firstly, it is the priorities. In BCP, the primary priority is system recovery (Briscoe 6). Although in the past, more attention was given to saving resources like fittings and basic life needs, retaining data has become the most-prioritized objective in emergency planning. Conversely, the government is keener on the recovery of all business functions and the safety of the people. In terms of resources, BCP mainly draws its funds from the company’s resources. In this regard, the firm must put aside finances to meet its objectives. In contrast, the government taps into its coffers, which is financed by taxpayers. Again, the planning structure of the government entails ECG, COG, and COOP, all of which are monitored by the three arms of the government. In businesses, the mission essential functions and business impact analysis are the main components of the BCP (Briscoe 3). Correspondingly, they are headed by the management. In organizations, employees must be trained in emergency response if it occurs with more emphasis on mitigation. The government trains its workers through agencies like FEMA, so that they can effectively respond to national disasters like floods, terrorism, and earthquakes.

Work Cited

Briscoe, Kenneth. Disaster management and COOP Handbook: From a corporate, federal, and local government, emergency coordinator’s perspective. Infinity Publishing, 2007.

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