This month, BOLDplanning, along with thousands of counties across the country, is recognizing National County Government Month (NCGM). The annual observance, first acknowledged by the National Association of Counties (NACo) in 1991, is meant to raise public awareness and understanding about the roles and responsibilities county government plays in our everyday lives. The theme for this year’s celebration of NCGM is “Connecting the Unconnected,” demonstrating how counties deliver “people-centered” services and connect communities.
Among the many essential services provided by county government are law enforcement, fire/EMS, emergency management, public health, child welfare, and public works. And, that’s just scraping the surface. There’s the County Clerk’s office, building codes, community development, the highway department, parks and recreation, the election commission and so many others. In fact, and according to NACO, counties serve nearly every American every day.
No one can do without these essential services. At least not for any length of time. That’s why counties, whether urban, suburban, or rural, have Continuity of Operations (COOP) or Continuity of Government (COG) plans in place. Such plans, almost always a combination of many departmental plans, provide the strategic guidance, objectives, performance measures, and resource requirements for maintaining continuity, even during a disaster situation.
Having developed over 10,000 organizational plans for public and private sector organizations across the country, including counties large and small, BOLDplanning is well-versed in plan development, adoption, testing and maintenance. One of the company’s many clients is Maricopa County, Arizona, the fourth largest county in the entire U.S. Learn more about their comprehensive COOP (and Emergency Operations) planning efforts by downloading the BOLDplanning case study.
To all 3,142 counties across America, thank you for making our lives easier and safer every day, and for keeping those essential services coming. Hats off to you during National County Government Month!
BOLDplanning provides comprehensive Continuity of Operations/Government (COOP/COG) planning services, coupled with superior online software, Currently, BOLDplanning is the solution of choice for more than 10,000 organizational plans, including COOP/COG, emergency operations and hazard mitigation, across the country.