January 25, 2007

 

 

Memo for:   Business Continuity Planning Committee

 

Subject:  Minutes of the January 19, 2007 Meeting

 

 

A meeting of the Business Continuity Plan Management Committee was held on Friday, January 19, 2007, in Room 208 Cone Center.

 

1.     Attendance:

a.      Present:  David Gray, Darius Griffin, Larry Howell, Dane Hughes, Norm Lefebvre, John Mack, Tina McEntire-Mason, Luke Pokrajac, Brian Richardson, Morgan Roseborough, David Rousmaniere, Laura Simic, Gina Smith

 

b.       Absent:  Dixie Airey, Kathi Baucom, Susan Brooks, Gary Caton, Frank Fleming, Ray Galleno, Diana Gann, Laura Goodburn, Marlene Hall, Jon Hawn, Bill Hill, Michele Howard, John Jacobs, Phil Jones, Tom Lamb, Mark Reynolds, Darin Spease, Gary Stinnett, Doug Thomas, Tom York

 

2.      Main topics / issues:

 

a.      Welcome:   Morgan welcomed the group and reviewed the number of disasters that have occurred around the country since the last meeting.  Fortunately, none of these directly affected UNC Charlotte.

 

b.      Individual Readiness.  Morgan emphasized the need for individuals to be prepared to deal with disaster situations.  This is particularly important for those we depend on to implement our business continuity and disaster recovery plans.   If our employees (or their families) are in need of help, they are less likely to come to the assistance of the University.  Morgan showed several web sites, from Federal through local government levels that addressed how individuals and families can prepare themselves to deal with disasters.

 

c.      Status of Pandemic Flu.  Morgan reported that the World Health Organization has not changed its level of the pandemic (Phase 3) since July.  There are no new cases reported in humans and also no reported presence of H5N1 virus in any new countries since that time.  Planning and preparation continues.  [Note: only a matter of days after this meeting, new cases of H5N1 were discovered in humans in Egypt.  The patients had been treated with Tamiflu after diagnosis, but died anyway.  This led authorities to speculate that the virus may have mutated into a new form that is resistant to current anti-viral drugs.]

 

d.      New Campus Warning System.  Morgan reported that the new audible warning system has been installed on the Dalton Tower of Atkins Library.  It will be tested (and operators trained) on February 6th.  Posters and flyers with instructions for faculty, staff and students are under development.

 

e.      CPO Tracker Upgrade (version 4.1).  Morgan reported that a new version of CPO Tracker has been released and will undergo testing to determine that it will work effectively.  The key features include use of SQL Server database (instead of MS Access), a new Phone Tree feature, and several administration features.  The new version should be active by March 1.

 

f.       PIER Communication System.  A new communication system PIER (Public Information and Emergency Response) has been adopted by the UNC System.  We will begin installation and testing in late January and it should be operational by March, 2007.  This system should eventually replace MissionMode as our automated notification system.

 

g.      BCP Plan and Contact Updates.  Morgan displayed the current status of contact information and recovery items (COOPs and other documents) managed by CPO Tracker.  Although we are maintaining a high level of current information, we are nearing the time when a majority of the information will be over 180 days old.  Updates should be done at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters.

 

h.      Emergency Management ID Cards.  Morgan reminded committee members that the new Emergency Management employee ID card is available for issue.  This card has already been distributed to people who would normally be expected to report to the EOC during an emergency.  The next phase is to issue cards to those who would also be called to campus in an emergency and would need access to their building(s).  Department/Unit representatives should send Morgan a list of those people (and their employee ID numbers).

 

i.        Sheltering.  Morgan reported on the meeting that he hosted on Nov 28th (11 AM, Room 211 Reese) with representatives from the County Emergency Management Office, County Health Department, Red Cross, and Animal Control.  At that meeting, the requirements and needs of a mass public shelter were discussed.  A follow on meeting will be held in February to further define roles and responsibilities in setting up and running the shelter.  These will be documented in a letter of agreement between the University and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Emergency Management Office.

 

j.    Emergency Scenario.  Morgan led the group in a tabletop exercise involving a vehicle fire and explosion just prior to a men’s basketball game.  The scenario raised issues concerning public information, ICS protocols, and business continuity.

 

i.       Proposed date for the next meeting:  The next meeting of the committee is scheduled for 10:00 AM on Friday, March 23, 2007, in Room 208 Cone Center.

 

3.  The meeting adjourned at 11:15 AM.

 

 

 

 

Morgan Roseborough

Director, Business Continuity Planning

UNC Charlotte