Continuity of Operations (COOP)

(1)  Serving on the Secretary’s COOP team;

(2)  Leading the execution of the Service’s essential functions, essential support activities, and reconstitution, if the Director is not deployed with the Secretary’s COOP team (the Deputy Director (Operations) does this if the Director is deployed with the Secretary’s COOP team);

(3) Advising the Assistant Secretaries and the Secretary of the Interior on our COOP plan and program;

(4) Designating a Service Emergency Coordinator and alternate (see 090 FW 2, Emergency Management), who are responsible for COOP planning and preparedness; and

(5) Ensuring that the Service identifies essential functions for Headquarters and Servicewide.

(1)  Serving as a successor to the Director,

(2)  Serving on the Secretary’s COOP team, and

(3)  Assisting the Director when advising the Assistant Secretaries and the Secretary on our COOP plan and program.

(1) Leading the execution of the Service’s essential functions, essential supporting activities, and reconstitution if the Director and Deputy Director (Policy) are deployed with the Secretary’s COOP team;

(2) Coordinating response activities with the Departmental COOP team and the Regions;

(3) Maintaining up-to-date orders of succession and delegations of authority for the Headquarters COOP plan;

(4) Advising the Director on COOP policy;

(5) Serving as the team leader for the Service COOP team;

(6)  Serving as a successor to the Director when the Deputy Director (Policy) is unable to do so; and

(7)  Serving as a backup on the Secretary’s COOP team if the Director or the Deputy Director (Policy) is unavailable.

(1)  Providing overall leadership and oversight of the Service’s COOP program,

(2) Approving the Headquarters COOP plan, and

(3) Ensuring Headquarters is ready to execute its COOP plan and activating it.

(1) Advising the Chief-NWRS on activating the Headquarters COOP plan,

(2) Supervising the Service’s Emergency Coordinator and overseeing the COOP program,

(3) Providing operational direction for response activities involving refuge law enforcement and security during emergencies and integrating those requirements into the Headquarters COOP plan, and

(4) Directing implementation of Headquarters COOP testing, training, and exercise activities.

(1)  Serving on the Secretary’s COOP team;

(2) Managing the Service’s COOP program, interpreting policy, and providing guidance Servicewide;

(3) Advising the Chief-NWRS, the Deputy Chief-NWRS, and the Chief, Division of Refuge Law Enforcement about Headquarters plan activation;

(4) Revising and maintaining the Headquarters plan and ensuring it conforms to applicable mandates and guidelines;

(5) Providing for COOP readiness and ensuring Servicewide compliance with this policy;

(6) Developing, maintaining, and conducting exercises/tests of the Headquarters COOP plan in coordination with the Department;

(7) Acting as a liaison to the Departmental Emergency Coordinator on emergency management matters;

(8) Identifying alternate and backup positions for the Headquarters COOP personnel roster;

(9) Coordinating operational COOP activities;

(10) Maintaining the Service’s Web page on the EM-SAFETALK site;

(11) Maintaining emergency contact information for Headquarters COOP team members;

(12) Maintaining situational awareness and executing alerts and warnings;

(13) Providing alert and notification messages to the Headquarters COOP team members and alternate facility personnel; and

(14)  Coordinating with Regional Emergency Coordinators when a Region has an active COOP situation.

(1) Developing and maintaining the Headquarters occupant emergency plans;

(2)  Working with the Department’s Office of Financial Management to determine how to fund the costs for alternate facility activation, including lodging and meal expenses;

(3) Assuring safety of dams and flood control activities on Departmental lands;

(4) Directing and coordinating reconstitution activities for Headquarters staff;

(5) Providing safety and health, finance, engineering, space, logistics, and acquisition support; and

(6) Providing building status to employees in Headquarters and Washington metropolitan region by updating the building status hotline number (202) 208-6606.

(1) Maintaining the Headquarters Local Area Network (LAN) contingency plan;

(2) Providing reliable communications and information technology (IT) during emergencies;

(3) Developing strategies, policies, or waivers of policy related to IT to allow the execution of essential and support functions remotely during a Headquarters COOP event; and

(4) Managing the Service’s records management program, including vital records.

(1)  Serving on the Secretary’s COOP team;

(2) Providing operational direction for response activities involving law enforcement special agents during emergencies and integrating those requirements into the Headquarters COOP plan; and

(3) Serving as successor to the Director when neither Deputy Director is available.

(1) Providing support to the Department’s and the Service’s COOP mission,

(2) Acting for the Service while the Service’s COOP leadership team is en route to NCTC (the alternate site), and

(3) Coordinating with the western alternate site (Legacy Region 6 (Interior Region 5) in Denver) and preparing the Service’s COOP leadership team location for activation.

(1) Serving as a successor to the Director when the Deputy Directors, Chief, OLE, and the Assistant Director – Endangered Species are unavailable; and

(2) Providing emergency information to employees in Headquarters and the Washington metropolitan region by updating the information on the Service’s main Web site.

(1) Coordinating with the Department’s Office of Human Capital on development of policy related to:

     (a) Pay and compensation for emergency workers, and

     (b) Appropriate support services for employees and their families affected by disasters or other emergencies;

(2) Ensuring that a Service Employee Accountability Plan is in place;

(3) Coordinating with the Department on budget activities related to COOP activation, including preparation of requests for supplemental appropriations; and

(4) Coordinating with facilities staff on building status updates.

(1) Serving as a successor to the Director when none of the officials in the sections above are available,

(2) Supporting functions in the Legacy Region 6 (Interior Regions 5 and 7)/Headquarters COOP Support Agreement, and

(3) Maintaining contact with the Legacy Region 6 (Interior Regions 5 and 7) COOP Coordinator, particularly during times of increased threat.

(1) Developing and maintaining an individual COOP plan separate from the Headquarters plan,

(2) Managing and executing emergency programs and functions within their respective areas of responsibility,

(3) Designating a COOP planner for their facilities,

(4) Ensuring timely and accurate reports are sent to the Service COOP team upon request,

(5) Determining the essential functions of their office,

(6) Ensuring that training and exercises are accomplished in accordance with their COOP plans, and

(7) Identifying potential COOP team members for their offices.

(1) Managing the Region’s COOP program, interpreting policy, and providing guidance;

(2) Advising Regional management about Regional plan activation;

(3) Revising and maintaining the Regional plan and ensuring it conforms to applicable mandates and guidelines;

(4) Providing for COOP readiness;

(5) Developing, maintaining, and conducting exercises/tests of the Regional COOP plan;

(6) Acting as a liaison to the Service Emergency Coordinator on emergency management matters and coordinating with the Service Emergency Coordinator during a Regional COOP activation;

(7) Identifying alternate and backup positions for their COOP personnel roster;

(8) Coordinating operational COOP activities for their facilities;

(9) Maintaining emergency contact information for Regional COOP team members;

(10) Maintaining situational awareness and executing alerts and warnings; and

(11) Providing alert and notification messages to Regional COOP team members and alternate facilities.

(1) Preparing the work force to deal with a COOP plan activation by:

     (a) Designating emergency employees, mission essential employees, or other special category employees and coordinating with the servicing Human Resources office to have those titles added to employee position descriptions, and

     (b) Ensuring that employees have taken required training and are familiar with how to accomplish potential COOP assignments;

(2) Taking the following preliminary steps to ensure their employees transition smoothly and safely from normal operations to COOP operations:

     (a) Becoming familiar with human capital strategies and policies to handle contingencies posed by COOP operations,

     (b) Accounting for their employees in an emergency situation and reporting as described in the Service’s Employee Accountability Plan,

     (c) Maintaining protocols for designating and activating emergency employees under their supervision,

     (d) Ensuring both regular and emergency employees have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities under the COOP plan,

     (e) Developing a procedure for maintaining contact with employees during closures of Service buildings, and

     (f) Giving employees emergency guides and preparedness information, as needed; and

(3) Serving as the primary point of contact for teleworkers and regular employees granted excused leave during COOP operations in which Service buildings are closed by:

     (a) Keeping an updated employee accountability process with current phone numbers and addresses;

     (b) Attempting to verify the safety and whereabouts of employees and sending this information to the Division of Human Capital or following predetermined disaster/COOP requirements for their Service location;

     (c) Maintaining lines of communication with employees to spread information and announcements, make work assignments, and recall employees back to work; and

     (d) Identifying employees who are able to telework from residences or alternate work sites.

T.  Employees

(1) Becoming familiar with the purpose and objectives of the COOP program;

(2) Working with their managers/supervisors to fully understand their roles and responsibilities during COOP plan activation, including employee accountability and any required training;

(3) Understanding how the Service will inform and instruct them during an emergency;

(4) Remaining accessible to managers/supervisors and being prepared to resume work at any time (from a temporary worksite location if necessary), even during periods of excused absence;

(5) Providing current contact information to supervisors in case of an emergency; and

(6) Updating emergency contact information in Employee Express, as needed.

Written plans must address, at a minimum, the sections

described in Table 1-4.