The Montgomery County, TX, Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (MCTXOEM), in partnership with BOLDplanning, an Agility Recovery company, recently hosted Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) development workshops for all operational county departments.
The objective of the COOP modernization project was to collectively create an easy-to-use, comprehensive countywide plan that supports Continuity of Government, or COG, under a broad range of circumstances.
BOLDplanning subject matter experts, James Woulfe, PCP, CBCP, and Jarred Thomas, CEM, conducted the two days of on-site plan development workshops. Together, they guided participants through the principles of continuity planning and demonstrated how to apply those principles to the County’s COOP plan. They also provided all-important instruction for using the BOLDplanning platform, dubbed MCTXprepares.com for Montgomery County.
Superior to paper-based plans, the BOLDplanning platform allows for better collaboration, easier plan editing and maintenance, faster response during a critical event, and greater mobility. It essentially walks planners through each step of the COOP/COG planning process, ensuring all key elements are addressed. These include:
- Delegations of Authority
- Communications-
- Security & Access
- Testing, Training & Exercises
- Plan Maintenance
- Essential Functions
- Primary & Alternate Facilities
- Vital Records & Resources
- Teams & Responsibilities
- Lines of Succession
Special thanks to Christopher Perkins at MCTXOEM for spearheading the countywide initiative and organizing the logistics of the meeting at Montgomery County’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
County planners and BOLDplanning representatives will reconvene in about 30 days for a second round of COOP workshops.
