FEMA Continuity Planning Guidance
An organization’s continuity of operations plan documents the overarching strategy, policies, and procedures required to support its headquarters continuity of operations program. As the DHS entity for coordinating the Executive Branch continuity of operations program, National Continuity Programs (NCP) has developed detailed planning guidance and plan templates to help other federal and non-federal entities in their continuity planning.
The Continuity of Operations Planning Course provides guidance and templates to help develop federal interagency and state, territorial, tribal, and local government continuity plans and programs.
- Continuity Plan Templates
- Pandemic Influenza
- ERG Member Planning Guide
- Multi-Year Strategy and Program Management Plan
- Reconstitution Template
- Devolution Template
- Vital Records
- Exercise Templates
Continuity Plan Templates
- Continuity Plan Template for Federal and Non-Federal Entities (PDF 146KB, TXT 13KB)
- Continuity Plan Template and Instructions for Federal Departments and Agencies (PDF 351KB, TXT 139KB)
- Continuity Plan Template and Instructions for Non-Federal Entities (PDF 1MB, TXT 117KB)
Pandemic Influenza
Pandemic Influenza is a global outbreak of disease that occurs when a new influenza virus appears or "emerges" in the human population, spreading from person to person worldwide causing serious illness. The impact of a Pandemic Influenza may cause a severe impact to an organization's ability to perform its essential functions. FEMA NCP has developed Pandemic Preparedness Templates, which assist Federal and non-federal entities in addressing the additional continuty planning considerations for a pandemic. The templates allow organizations to identify their strengths and weaknesses in performing essential functions during a pandemic.
ERG Member Planning Guide
Developing Emergency Relocation Group (ERG) Member Planning Guides (PDF 256KB, TXT 25KB), A Guide for ERG Positional Requirements Planning, June 2009. The Guide provides tools (templates and checklists) for developing ERG positional standard operating procedures to support organizational continuity programs. ERG positional guides assist ERG staff to understand the key elements of supporting that position and allow continuity managers access to positional requirements that are considered when preparing a Business Process Analysis of organizational essential functions.
Multi-Year Strategy and Program Management Plan
- Template (PDF 30KB, TXT 3KB)
- Template Guide (PDF 152KB, TXT 34KB)
- Budget Resource Requirements Addendum (XLS 34KB)
Reconstitution Template
Reconstitution Plan/Annex Template and Instructions (April 2011) (PDF 1MB, TXT 66KB)
Devolution Template
FEMA Devolution of Operations Planning Template (PDF 326KB, TXT 83KB)
Vital Records
Vital Records Management, A Briefing for Federal Agencies (PPT 1MB, TXT 7KB)
Exercise Templates
NCP developed a series of continuity exercise templates that incorporate updates from the National Continuity Policy Implementation Plan, Federal Continuity Directive 1 and 2, and Continuity Guidance Circular 1 and 2. These exercise templates are compatible with the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) and meet National Exercise Program requirements.
Contact the Regional Continuity Managers for more information.
Determined Accord Exercise Template: a multi-agency pandemic tabletop exercise designed to increase federal and non-federal governmental jurisdiction continuity readiness for a pandemic event, mitigate vulnerabilities during an influenza pandemic outbreak, and identify gaps or weaknesses in pandemic planning and in organization continuity plans, policies, and procedures.
Cardinal Accord Exercise Template: a tabletop exercise designed to increase federal department and agency, state, territorial, tribal and local jurisdictional continuity of operations readiness for a regional terrorism event, to mitigate vulnerabilities during a terrorist event, and to identify gaps or weaknesses in organizational continuity plans, policies, and procedures.
Vigilant Strategy Exercise Template: a devolution tabletop exercise designed to provide a forum for federal and non-federal entities to discuss devolution of operations readiness to respond to a catastrophic event in which Mission Essential Functions (MEFs) and Primary Mission Essential Functions (PMEFs) are devolved to a designated devolution site.
Determined Challenge Exercise Template: a multi-agency hurricane tabletop exercise designed to increase participant understanding of the weaknesses and gaps in organizations’ existing continuity plans, policies, and capabilities.
Quiet Sentinel Exercise Template: a full-scale exercise designed to validate an organization’s continuity of operations capability to activate, relocate, and operate from an alternate site.
Liberty Down Sentinel Exercise Template: a functional multi-agency continuity exercise designed to evaluate the ability of organizations to activate their continuity of operations plans during a natural emergency and to sustain operations for an extended period.