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Accinctus - Brian Siravo

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Brian Siravo

Brian Siravo

The regulations for Medicare / Medicaid providers and suppliers is being updated including consolidation and enhancement of the emergency preparedness requirements.  These new requirements will require completion of 4 core elements to establish a compliant preparedness program in these organizations.  The presentation includes more information on these changes and 4 core elements.

New Emergency Preparedness Requirements for Medicare/Medicaid Providers and Suppliers

Last week I had the privilege to attend and speak at the 22nd Annual Fire & Life Safety Educators Conference of the Rockies in beautiful Estes Park, Colorado which was sponsored by the Fire & Life Safety Educators of Colorado (www.FireSafetyEducators.org).  The conference was jumpstarted in the first opening comment by Einar Jensen from South Metro Fire Rescue that stated the whole reason everyone was there was to simply “get better.”  I can’t think of a better way to start a conference!

The key note speakers, Emily Braucher and Wanda Omdahl, certainly presented different perspectives that challenged and pushed people out of their comfort zones.  The third keynote speaker, George Keller, was moving and frightening as he explained the emotions and actions he took to do the right thing as he turned his own son into the police after discovering he was the country’s worst serial arsonist.  The many breakout sessions were professional and I wish I could have attended all of them as I found every one enlightening and educational.  The fantastic sessions I attended addressed: 

  • The psychology of decision making in a crisis

  • Lessons from our devastating wildfires and mitigation principles

  • Statistical analysis being used to prevent injuries in children by focusing education on the greatest risks in specific communities

  • Upcoming legal requirements and challenges for emergency and contingency planning in Long-Term Care Facilities

  • The initial analysis of the public health implications of legalized marijuana in Colorado

In addition, the impromptu after dinner tour of the Estes Park flooding and recovery efforts by someone who grew up in the area was very eye opening (thanks Ashleigh). 

For my presentation (Bridging the Public-Private Sector Gap in Preparedness), I wanted to focus on a different perspective for the conference audience since 99% of them represented public response organizations.  My goal was to increase their awareness in regards to the differences between the highly structured public sector (fire, police, EMS, etc.) and the rather flexible, haphazard, and even non-existent approach (sadly) in the private sector in regards to preparedness and business continuity.  I think one of the points that surprised many of them was the difference between their highly regulated organizations and the lack of legal or regulatory requirements for the private sector to plan and prepare for business disruptions or disasters. 

It wasn’t all work with the (play money) casino night bringing a bit of fun to what otherwise was always very serious topics.  I can now honestly say I’ve played poker against two actual clowns and lost my chips in the end to one (nice last hand “Patches”)! 

Going through my notes a week later I can gladly say that I met many great professionals who welcomed me in their circle despite being the odd-ball from the private sector and learned about many topics I have less experience with.  I highly recommend to my fellow private sector professionals (whether you’re in business continuity or disaster recovery) to look for similar opportunities to meet and learn from our public sector counterparts. 

Overall, I know I can say I “got better” and hopefully I helped someone else say the same.  I hope that I will be invited to present to the group again in the future. 

Be Aware – Be Prepared – Be Safe.

 

Has anyone ever asked this question in your company?  Do you know if your church or non-profit organization is prepared for disruptions?  This is a difficult question that I’ve discussed with business continuity professionals, business owners, and managers many times.  How do you honestly know you are ready for the most likely disasters and disruptions?  How do you know if your business continuity, disaster recovery, or risk mitigation plans will be effective during those critical moments during and after an incident that threaten your employees, operations, profitability, or reputation?

I’d like to start by stating that it is not possible to be 100% prepared for all disasters and disruptions you may face.  There is no such thing as a perfect plan or perfect training that provides all the answers to every situation your team members and employees need to know.  So before we move on, you have to accept that no matter what you do the real world will challenge your organization with unique circumstances and factors that you did not anticipate.  In essence, what we are actually striving for is the appropriate level of “prepared enough” versus the impossible “perfectly prepared.”

There are three steps that must be completed to reach the answer to the question.  First, you need to define what is “prepared enough” for your organization.  This must be a decision by leadership identifying the organization’s risk tolerance and preparedness strategy based on knowledge of potential threats (natural, man-made, and technological), the impact of those threats on the organization, and when the impact on your operations moves from acceptable to unacceptable.

The second step is taking action by planning for those disruptions and then training your staff.  Unless your perspective is “I don’t know and I don’t care” (which I highly recommend against) you need to plan how your organization will respond to incidents when they happen. The second and more important part of this step is to train your response staff, managers, employees, and volunteers on the processes and actions you want them to take.

 

Thursday, 04 December 2014 00:00

Family Resources

Home & Family Resources

 

Family Emergency Evacuation Checklist

A family evacuation checklist for use to help prepare your family to evacuate your home in case of a disaster such as a flood, wildfire, or HAZMAT incident.  (FREE)

 

Children’s Emergency Evacuation Checklist

A short companion checklist to be used for young children with the Family Emergency Evacuation Checklist.  (FREE)

 

 

 

Wednesday, 03 December 2014 00:00

Training

Accinctus provides a variety of training classes in different formats related to business continuity & preparedness for your business. 

 

Workshops & Seminars:

ADAPTABLE© EAP Workshop

ADAPTABLE© BCP Workshop

Preparedness for Faith-Based Organizations (Prep4FBOs)

Meeting COOP Requirements with a Business Continuity Program 

 

Training: 

Basic Employee Preparedness Training

Advanced Employee Preparedness Training

Basic Incident Management Training

Advanced Incident Management Training

Business Continuity Principles for Executives and Managers

Threat Specific or other Client Requested Training 

 

Community Seminars:

Family & Home Preparedness

Business Continuity Principles

 

Contact Accinctus at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for questions about training or to schedule a class.

 

 

 

Tuesday, 02 December 2014 00:00

Accinctus Continuity Advisor Services

Continuity Advisor Services

Challenges: 

  • Does your business or organization preparedness requirements not perfectly fit other models? 

  • Do you need to implement a preparedness program over a long period of time?

  • Do your requirements and desire to prepare your organization exceed your current budget?

  • Are you looking for a more creative preparedness solution?

  • Do you need short term preparedness coaching or additional assistance for your in-house continuity staff for specific projects for variable tasks over time or that require multiple professional disciplines?

  • Do you need an external review of your program, development of a single exercise or other single task that you are looking for non-traditional-consulting solution for a short-term requirements surge?

  • Do you want the benefit of a business continuity professional as part of your team without the challenges of outsourcing to multi-year contracts or insourcing by hiring a full time staff member?

 

Accinctus Continuity Advisor Solutions:

Your business or organization is unique and your preparedness solutions should match your requirements like tailored suit.  Accinctus Continuity Advisor Services, whether you want to think of it as "flexible consulting" or "concierge business continuity services," brings you the expertise of a business continuity professional in a flexible manner to balance your requirements, schedule, and budget.  Services can be provided as: 

  • A low, consistent number of hours per month (i.e. 5 or 10 hours per month) with an expert partner who will roll up their sleeves and help develop your preparedness program.  This solution provides long term value at less cost for SMBs.

  • A part time contract for 6 months to a year, providing an expert resource to boost your internal program.

  • A surge of expertise, either a full time professional or even a team, to address a serious area of risk, preparation for an audit, or to facilitate a large exercise. 

 

Contact Accinctus for a flexible solution to your preparedness challenges at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

Preparedness for Faith Based & Non-Profit Organization (Prep4FBOs) 

 

Challenges:
Churches, faith-based and non-profit organizations face many of the same challenges small businesses deal with such as natural disasters, technology failures, and utility outages as well as increased threats to staff or congregant safety such as medical emergencies, bomb threats, protests, and active-shooter incidents.  These organizations also deal with other challenges: 

  • Increased unique risks related to special services including daycare, schools, or elderly care

  • A culture of service where the “doors are always open” increases security and safety risks

  • Increased need for critical services during and after disasters to support the community

  • Limited resources, small permanent staff, and a significant reliance on volunteers.

 

Recommendations:
Faith based and non-profit organizations should implement simple and flexible preparedness processes using easy to use checklists that focus on mission critical functions during disasters. Training should concentrate on protecting the safety of service customers, volunteers, and other staff from the most likely threats. 

 

Accinctus Solutions for Faith Based and Non-Profit Organizations:
The Accinctus Preparedness for Churches and Faith-Based Organizations (Prep4FBOs) provides preparedness planning and training in a flexible, best-practice based approach that churches can utilize at 4 levels of activity depending on their requirements.   

  1. Prep4FBOs Workshop: Seminar to educate staff on basic preparedness fundamentals.  Includes a practical approach to risk analysis and developing a plan of action to address organization requirements.
  2. Prep4FBOs Assessment: Delivers a completed set of documents that lay a foundation of a preparedness program. Designed for organizations that need help establishing a program but will implement long term actions with internal resources. 
  3. Prep4FBOs Implementation Project: Full implementation of a self-sufficient preparedness program.  Applies business continuity practices using the Accinctus ADAPTABLE© model to meet preparedness requirements. 
  4. Program Review or Exercise: For organizations with established emergency procedures, Accinctus can provide an independent review or a tailored exercise to evaluate your plans and identify areas for improvement.

 

Tuesday, 02 December 2014 00:00

Preparedness for Large & Enterprise Businesses

 Business Continuity for Large Businesses or Enterprises
(More than 1000 Employees)

Challenges: 

  • Large and enterprise sized companies must meet risk management, business continuity, safety, and process improvement standards in a highly competitive environment.

  • Resources (people, expertise, budget, etc.) may be more available, but the risks to facilities, business operations, employees, financial expectations, and reputation of the company and corporate officers are exponentially greater than faced by SMBs. 

  • Depending on the organization, business continuity functions may be fragmented across different functions such as IT, Environmental Health & Safety, Security, Compliance, or other offices reducing the effectiveness of a business continuity program. 

  • Companies with successful business continuity programs may need outside expertise, perspectives, or reviews to find ways to improve their BC Program. 

 

Recommendations: 

  • Large businesses and enterprises should implement a business continuity program utilizing a standards based Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) as defined in ISO 22301 or NFPA 1600. 

  • Integrate employee preparedness training with corporate training programs.  

 

Accinctus Solutions for Large Businesses or Enterprises: 

  1. Comprehensive business continuity consulting assistance to establish, manage, or improve your company business continuity program enhancing your internal expertise and resources.
  2. Completion of Risk Assessment, Business Impact Analysis, or specific threat and mitigation assessments. 
  3. Completion of formal audits or internal reviews focused on program improvement, compliance, or certification to standards such as ISO 22301, NFPA 1600 or PS-Prep. 
  4. Development of a comprehensive training program for employees, team members, managers and executives
  5. Development and facilitation of exercises to identify gaps in program effectiveness and highlight areas for improvement.
  6. On-call emergency operations assistance to continuity teams or managers during or after a disaster when extra expertise and manpower is required.

 


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