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PA Private Sector Integration Program Aims to Engage Businesses in Emergency Management Operations

From PA Emergency Management Agency

Pennsylvania is committed to resilient communities and Pennsylvania’s businesses are a critical part of that. The Private Sector Integration Program fosters important relationships to increase information sharing between the private and public sectors before, during and after disasters. The Private Sector Integration Program engages businesses through:

1. Private-sector driven planning and discussion sessions

2. The PA Business Emergency Operations Center (PABEOC), located at the Commonwealth Response Coordination Center, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.

Resilient communities

Pennsylvania is susceptible to a wide range of threats and hazards ranging from severe weather and flooding to catastrophic acts of violence and terrorism. When disaster strikes, communities cannot truly recover until the businesses that citizens rely upon return to operations and the economy is restored.

In a crisis, close collaboration and open lines of communication between the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) and the private sector is critical to protecting citizens and rebuilding communities. The PA Business Emergency Operations Center (PA BEOC) helps to maintain that connection for the private sector and emergency management.

PA BEOC Objectives
• Improved awareness of the situation, risks, and status through a two-way exchange of information.
• Support a direct pathway back to normal operations as soon as possible.
• Engage key stakeholders who bring resources, capabilities, and expertise to bear during disaster response and recovery efforts to determine impacts on their ability to provide services to the public.

Trusted and cooperative relationships

Through information sharing, situational awareness, and resource requests, the PA BEOC is a physical and virtual hub allowing information that adds to the common operating picture in the response.

Relationships that start before, continue through, and extend after a disaster

Participation and coordination is mostly virtual – via conference calls, email, and web platforms. As a member of the PA BEOC, you can expect the following

To help you prepare:
• Opportunities to participate in exercises.
• Access to helpful business continuity resources.

To help you respond:
• Access to information to help you understand the current situation regarding potential incidents.
• Awareness of what state agencies and other businesses are doing to assist with the response including road restrictions on state roads and Interstates in Pennsylvania.
• Ability to participate in weather conference calls.
• Contact information for the Virtual PA Business Operations Center (when activated) to assist with issues.
• Provides information directly to members and through the Virtual Operations Center.
• Conduct conference calls (if needed).

To help you recover:
• Access to information including situation reports, state agency closures, evacuations, power outages, recovery information.

Participation in the PA BEOC is voluntary and open to all members of the private sector including large and small businesses, associations, universities, think tanks and non-profits. If you have questions, please contact PEMA, External Affairs.

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