Toolkit
Business Mission Statement
A mission statement is a clear, concise declaration of your business' goals and the philosophies
underlying them. It distills what your business is all about for customers, employees and the
market. It should reflect every facet of your business and is crucial to developing a
comprehensive and meaningful business continuity plan.
Business Continuity Policy
A Business Continuity Policy (BPC) is a plan, supported by senior management, to ensure that
the necessary steps are taken to identify the impact of potential losses, maintain viable recovery
strategies and supervise the continuity of operations through personnel training, plan testing and
maintenance. The BCP should contain all the procedures necessary to continue business
operations during or after an emergency.
A typical BCP should contain documents outlining the following:
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Duties of the Emergency Management Group
Duties of the Incident Commander
Location of the Emergency Operations Center
Emergency Communication Procedures
Notification procedures
Warning procedures
Confidentiality requirements
Organizational chart
Customer lists
Utility provider information
Suppliers and equipment providers
Emergency Management Group
The Emergency Management Group (EMG) is responsible for controlling all incident-related
activities. The EMG allocates resources to a single Incident Commander, who oversees the
technical aspects of the response. EMG members should be senior managers who have the
authority to:
- Determine the short- and long-term effects of an emergency
- Order the evacuation or shutdown of the facility
- Implement the emergency management plan
- Determine response strategies
- Activate resources
- Oversee all incident response activities
- Declare that an incident has ended
- Interface with outside organizations and the media
- Issue press releases
Incident Commander
The Incident Commander (IC) is the spokesperson for the EMG and is responsible for planning
and execution, managing the incident from the front line, determining whether outside
assistance is needed, and relaying requests for internal resources or outside assistance through
the Emergency Operations Centre.
The IC can be any employee, but a member of management with authority to make decisions is
usually the best choice.
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