Continuity of operations, or COOP, planning activities are taking place across the country, and BOLDplanning (a division of Agility) is proud to play an integral part. Most recently, the company partnered with several state/local agencies to further hone their plans through various COOP workshops. Among those involved were the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; Prince George’s County, Maryland; Bernalillo County, New Mexico; and the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA).  

For the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, state agency planners were encouraged to participate in one or all of series of workshops:

  • An introductory COOP refresher workshop
  • An advanced practitioner workshop
  • A scenario-based discussion workshop

Each was led by BOLDplanning representative James Woulfe, CBCP, manager of global solutions, who provided participants invaluable insight into the plan’s continued development. 

The Commonwealth conducts COOP workshops for planners each quarter to ensure each department has the tools, including the BOLDplanning.com platform, and knowledge to successfully maintain their plans over the calendar year. Congratulations on a job well done. 

In Maryland, Prince George’s County’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management departments hosted COOP Finalization Workshops (also led by James Woulfe). Planners representing various county departments were provided instruction on how to complete the plan and gain department approval. Departments requesting additional subject matter expertise and planning recommendations since the workshops have scheduled and participated in virtual 1:1 meetings with Woulfe. 

Special thanks to Darrell Small and Mark Weismann at Prince George’s County for their efforts to coordinate the workshops and oversee the successful development of the continuity plans for all county departments. 

Additionally, BOLDplanning recently completed the final COOP planning workshop for Bernalillo County, New Mexico, the most populous county in the state and home to its most populous city, Albuquerque. This workshop, facilitated by company representative Matt Eyer, PMP, CHS-v, CBCP, completed the plan review phase and initiated preparations for a COOP tabletop exercise. Such exercises allow planners to examine current policies, procedures, resources, and actions in an emergency and, ultimately, make plan improvements.  

Lastly, BOLDplanning completed two COOP refresher workshops with the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA). The workshops, also led by Eyer, were hosted in the CHFA building and offered remotely to all plan participants. Both were well attended, and everyone appeared to glean information to support, if not improve, the authority’s continuity planning efforts. Thank you to everyone who took part, and keep up the great work.  

COOP plans are crucial to ensuring government agencies can continue performing their essential functions during various emergencies. And COOP workshops, as covered in this blog post, can help ensure both the knowledge of planners and the quality of the plans themselves. At BOLDplanning, we encourage you, regardless of your continuity planning experience level, to participate in such training activities at every opportunity. You have nothing to lose and everything, namely greater organizational resiliency, to gain.