Continuity Of Operations (COOP)

The City of Richmond has become increasingly aware of how disasters and emergencies could disrupt, paralyze or destroy the capabilities to preserve government and perform essential governmental functions. Continuity of Operations (COOP) Planning is designed to develop and maintain a program that enables the City to preserve and maintain it’s capability to function effectively in the event of a disaster or emergency, which could potentially disrupt critical operations and services. A COOP plan is designed to address the following events:

• Loss of access to a facility or building;
• Loss or reduction of services due to a reduction in workforce; and
• Loss of services due to equipment or system failure.

COOP planning is one component of the City of Richmond’s comprehensive emergency management program that addresses the preparation for, mitigation of, response to and recovery from all hazards. By focusing on efforts to continue the essential functions of the City, COOP planning ensures that the government continues to operate—even in the wake of a major event.

To meet the unique needs of the City, Emergency Management modified the Virginia Department of Emergency Management Local Government COOP Planning Resources. The resources now serve as tools for each department as they develop and maintain their COOP Plans.

The Business Impact Analysis Template serves as a comprehensive resource, allowing departments to fully assess the loss of a function and the related impact.

The COOP Worksheets help gather the raw data needed to develop a COOP plan. They may modify them to fit the needs of the department.

The Department Plan Template captures critical operational data that supports each department during COOP plan implementation. In conjunction with the information gathered by the worksheets, the template assists in completing a cohesive and comprehensive COOP plan specific to each department’s mission and needs.

If at any point throughout the planning process a department needs more information please our office.