Disaster recovery is a two-stage process. The first stage is the immediate response to the emergency, which involves search and rescue, first aid and medical triage, and facilities safety inspections, among other things. The second stage is the resumption of UC Berkeley's business of teaching and research.
The Office of Emergency Preparedness implements programs and projects in emergency planning, training, and response. Their mission is to prepare the campus to respond to any type of emergency or disaster. The Emergencies section of this Guide contains more information on responsibilities for immediate responses to an emergency.
Preparation for the business resumption stage of disaster recovery is the responsibility of the Business Resumption Coordinator, working under the guidance of the Business Resumption Coordination Group (chaired by the Associate Vice Chancellor, Business and Administrative Services, and overseen by the SAFER Oversight Committee (chaired by the Vice Provost, Academic Planning and Facilities).
Under the Seismic Action Plan for Facilities Enhancement and Renewal (SAFER) Program, established in 1997, four committees were charged with recommending disaster recovery strategies for their area of concern. The UC Berkeley Business Resumption Plan supports the recovery strategies recommended in the reports of the three other SAFER committees: the Classroom Seismic Recovery Plan; the Research Seismic Recovery Report; and the Utilities Infrastructure Seismic Response and Recovery Report. It specifies the human resource and information system issues involved in planning for the continuity of high-priority business functions, and outlines what each responsible unit or office must do to ensure that it has the capacity to carry on its "business" functions. The plan includes a prioritized list of critical business functions and detailed training needs for employees. The report is available from the Office of Continuity Planning.
The Business Resumption Coordination Group is responsible for the following:
- Overseeing the development, maintenance and testing of all plans for Criticality 1 (absolutely vital) business functions;
- Reviewing business resumption plans for Information Systems & Technology (IS&T), satellite computing systems (e.g., Financial Aid, the Library, University Health Services), Office of Human Resources, and academic departments;
- Overseeing the development and dissemination of training materials and programs; and
- Sponsoring an annual business resumption exercise.
Administrative officials are responsible for overseeing their unit or department's business resumption efforts. Each must ensure that resumption plans are developed, that personnel are trained, and that their personnel participate in an annual business resumption exercise. The Business Resumption Coordinator provides technical assistance to all departments in the above activities. In the aftermath of a disaster, administrative officials are responsible for implementing their department's business resumption plan.