Federal Continuity Directive, FCD-1

Federal Continuity Directive 1
(FCD 1)
November 6, 2007

Federal Continuity Directive 1
(FCD 1)
6, 2007

Federal Continuity Directive 1
Federal Executive Branch National Continuity Program and
Requirements
October 2012

FCD 1

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FCD 1

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.

PURPOSE .............................................................................................................................1
APPLICABILITY AND SCOPE ..........................................................................................1
SUPERSESSION ..................................................................................................................1
AUTHORITIES.....................................................................................................................1
REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................1
POLICY.................................................................................................................................2
BACKGROUND ...................................................................................................................2
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT .............................................................................................3
ELEMENTS OF A VIABLE CONTINUITY CAPABILITY ..............................................5
COORDINATION WITH TRIBAL, STATE, TERRITORIAL, AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR ............................................................8
CONTINUITY PLAN OPERATIONAL PHASES AND IMPLEMENTATION................9
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES...................................................................................10
POINT OF CONTACT .......................................................................................................10
DISTRIBUTION .................................................................................................................10

ANNEX A.
ANNEX B.
ANNEX C.
ANNEX D.
ANNEX E.
ANNEX F.
ANNEX G.
ANNEX H.
ANNEX I.
ANNEX J.
ANNEX K.
ANNEX L.
ANNEX M.
ANNEX N.
ANNEX O.
ANNEX P.
ANNEX Q.

PROGRAM PLANS AND PROCEDURES ...................................................... A-1
RISK MANAGEMENT.......................................................................................B-1
BUDGETING AND ACQUISITION OF RESOURCES....................................C-1
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS ................................................................................ D-1
ORDERS OF SUCCESSION .............................................................................. E-1
DELEGATIONS OF AUTHORITY ................................................................... F-1
CONTINUITY FACILITIES.............................................................................. G-1
CONTINUITY COMMUNICATIONS .............................................................. H-1
ESSENTIAL RECORDS MANAGEMENT ........................................................ I-1
HUMAN RESOURCES ....................................................................................... J-1
TEST, TRAINING, AND EXERCISE (TT&E) PROGRAM ............................ K-1
DEVOLUTION OF CONTROL AND DIRECTION ......................................... L-1
RECONSTITUTION OPERATIONS ................................................................ M-1
CONTINUITY PLAN OPERATIONAL PHASES AND
IMPLEMENTATION ......................................................................................... N-1
ACRONYMS ...................................................................................................... O-1
GLOSSARY ........................................................................................................ P-1
AUTHORITIES AND REFERENCES .............................................................. Q-1

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FEDERAL CONTINUITY DIRECTIVE 1
Number
FCD 1

Date
2012

Office
FEMA National Continuity Programs

TO:

HEADS OF FEDERAL ORGANIZATIONS

SUBJECT:

FEDERAL EXECUTIVE BRANCH NATIONAL CONTINUITY PROGRAM
AND REQUIREMENTS

1. PURPOSE: This Federal Continuity Directive (FCD) provides direction to the Federal
Executive Branch for developing continuity plans and programs. Continuity planning
facilitates the performance of executive branch essential functions during all-hazards
emergencies or other situations that may disrupt normal operations. The ultimate goal of
continuity in the executive branch is the continuation of National Essential Functions
(NEFs).
2. APPLICABILITY AND SCOPE: In accordance with National Security Presidential
Directive (NSPD)-51/Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD)-20, National
Continuity Policy, the provisions of this FCD are applicable to the executive departments
enumerated in 5 U.S.C. § 101, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS),
independent establishments as defined by 5 U.S.C. § 104(1), Government corporations as
defined by 5 U.S.C. § 103(1), and the United States Postal Service. The departments,
agencies, commissions, bureaus, boards, and independent organizations are hereinafter
referred to as “organizations” to better reflect the diverse organizational structures of the
Federal Executive Branch. The provisions of this FCD are applicable at all levels of Federal
Executive Branch organizations regardless of their location, including regional and field
locations. Headquarters (HQ) organizations are responsible for providing oversight and
promulgating this directive to their subcomponent and field organizations. In this FCD, the
term “headquarters” refers to the central, head offices of operations for organizations
identified in Annex A of NSPD-51/HSPD-20. The Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) has developed Continuity Guidance Circulars 1 and 2 to provide similar guidance to
tribal, state, territorial, and local governments and the private sector.
3. SUPERSESSION: The provisions of this FCD supersede Federal Continuity Directive 1,
Federal Executive Branch National Continuity Program and Requirements, dated February
2008.
4. AUTHORITIES: See Annex Q – Authorities and References.
5. REFERENCES: See Annex Q – Authorities and References.

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6. POLICY: It is the policy of the United States to maintain a comprehensive and effective
continuity capability composed of Continuity of Operations (COOP) and Continuity of
Government (COG) programs to ensure the preservation of our form of Government under
the Constitution and the continuing performance of NEFs under all conditions. All
organizations must incorporate continuity requirements into their daily operations to ensure
seamless and immediate continuation of Primary Mission Essential Functions (PMEFs) so
that essential functions and services remain available to the Nation’s citizens. Continuity
planning will occur simultaneously with the development and execution of day-to-day
organizational programs. This means that organizations must incorporate redundancy and
resiliency as a means and an end. In support of this policy, the Federal Executive Branch has
developed and implemented a continuity program that is composed of programs within
individual organizations to ensure that they can continue to perform their essential functions
during a wide range of emergencies, including localized acts of nature, accidents, and
technological or attack-related emergencies. These efforts include plans and procedures
under all readiness levels that delineate essential functions, specify succession to office and
delegations of authority, provide for the safekeeping of and access to essential records,
identify a range of continuity facilities, provide for continuity communications, provide for
human resources planning, validate these capabilities through tests, training, and exercises
(TT&E), specify a devolution of control and direction, and provide for reconstitution. All
Federal Executive Branch organizations, regardless of their size or location, shall have in
place a viable continuity capability to ensure resiliency and continued performance of their
organization’s essential functions under all conditions.
7. BACKGROUND: Continuity planning is simply the good business practice of ensuring the
execution of essential functions through all circumstances, and it is a fundamental
responsibility of public and private entities responsible to their stakeholders. Today’s threat
environment and the potential for no-notice emergencies, including localized acts of nature,
accidents, technological emergencies, and military or terrorist attack-related incidents, have
increased the need for robust continuity capabilities and planning that enable organizations to
continue their essential functions across a broad spectrum of emergencies. Today’s threats
have emphasized the importance of programs that ensure continuity throughout the Federal
Executive Branch.
Historically, the Federal Government has defined continuity efforts using the terms “COOP,”
“COG,” and “Enduring Constitutional Government (ECG).”

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Figure 1

The lessons we have learned from such catastrophic events as the attacks of
September 11, 2001, and Hurricane Katrina in 2005 demonstrate the need to reemphasize
continuity as a “good business practice” to be incorporated into day-to-day planning, in order
to reduce vulnerability and ensure continuity.
On May 4, 2007, the President issued the National Continuity Policy in NSPD-51/HSPD-20,
which set forth a new vision to ensure the continuity of our Government. Pursuant to
NSPD-51/HSPD-20, and in accordance with the National Continuity Policy Implementation
Plan (NCPIP), the President directs the executive branch to reorient itself and to utilize an
integrated, overlapping national continuity concept to ensure the preservation of our
Government and the continuing performance of essential functions.
Continuity responsibility and planning should not be a separate and compartmentalized
function performed by independent cells of a few planners in each organization.
Organizations must fully integrate continuity into all aspects of an organization’s daily
operations, thus creating a “culture of continuity.”
8. PROGRAM MANAGEMENT: The NCPIP recognizes that an organization’s resiliency is
directly related to its continuity capability. An organization’s continuity capability – its
ability to perform its essential functions continuously – rests upon key components and
pillars. These pillars are leadership, staff, communications, and facilities.
The key pillars are built on the foundation of continuity planning and program management.
A standardized continuity program management cycle ensures consistency across all Federal
Government continuity programs. The cycle establishes consistent performance metrics,
promulgates best practices, and facilitates consistent cross-organization continuity
evaluations. Organizations should use this continuity program management cycle to develop
and implement their continuity programs.

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Figure 2

See Annex A – Program Plans and Procedures
Risk Management
In the face of multiple and diverse catastrophic possibilities, it is accepted that risk is a
permanent condition. Risk management is the process of identifying, analyzing, assessing,
and communicating risk and accepting, avoiding, transferring, or controlling it to an
acceptable level considering associated costs and benefits of any actions taken. It is a
responsibility of Government to ensure that essential services can continue regardless of
whether organizations have adequately mitigated risks. Applying a disciplined approach to
managing risk will help to achieve best progress, long term success, and overall effectiveness
and efficiency. Organizations manage their internal risks to a reasonable level, employing
risk management principles to identify and prioritize risks based on perceived loss or impact
associated with each. Organizations should discuss all risks with senior organization
leadership to determine an agreed upon course of action to correct and contain risks to an
acceptable level.
See Annex B – Risk Management

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Budgeting
Budgeting for and acquiring resources for continuity capabilities is one of the most important
components of continuity planning. Budgetary requirements directly support the ability of
all organizations to meet all the criteria of a viable continuity capability as stated in this FCD.
See Annex C – Budgeting and Acquisition of Resources
9. ELEMENTS OF A VIABLE CONTINUITY CAPABILITY: NSPD-51/HSPD-20
outlines the overarching continuity requirements for organizations. These requirements are
discussed in more depth in the “Key Considerations and Concept of Operations” section of
the NCPIP. These components are further delineated into the following elements of
continuity.
a. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS. The identification and prioritization of essential functions is
a prerequisite for continuity planning, because they establish the planning parameters that
drive an organization’s efforts in all other planning and preparedness areas.
Government functions are the collective functions of organizations, as defined by the
Constitution, statute, regulation, Presidential direction, or other legal authorities, and the
functions of the legislative and judicial branches. These functions are activities that are
conducted to accomplish an organization’s mission and serve its stakeholders. During an
event that disrupts or has the potential to disrupt normal activities and that necessitates the
activation of continuity plans, the resources and staff available to an organization will likely
be limited, and the organization will not be able to perform all of its normal government
functions. Therefore, a subset of those government functions that are determined to be
critical activities are defined as the organization’s essential functions. These essential
functions are used to identify supporting tasks and resources that must be included in the
organization’s continuity planning process. FCD 2 provides additional details and
procedures for identifying an organization’s essential functions.
The NCPIP identifies three categories of essential functions: NEFs, PMEFs, and Mission
Essential Functions (MEFs). The ultimate goal of continuity in the executive branch is the
continuation of NEFs. To achieve that goal, the objective for executive organizations is to
identify their MEFs and PMEFs, as appropriate, and ensure that those functions can be
continued throughout, or resumed rapidly after, a disruption of normal activities.
The eight NEFs represent the overarching responsibilities of the Federal Government to lead
and sustain the Nation and are the primary focus of the Federal Government’s leadership
during and in the aftermath of an emergency.
PMEFs are the set of those organization essential functions that organizations must perform
to support or implement the performance of the NEFs before, during, and in the aftermath of
an emergency. Organizations need to continuously perform PMEFs during a continuity
activation or resume PMEFs within 12 hours of an event. Organizations must maintain all
PMEFs until they can resume normal operations.

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MEFs are a broader set of essential functions that organizations must continue throughout or
resume rapidly after a disruption of normal activities but are not identified as PMEFs. MEFs
are those functions that enable an organization to provide vital services, exercise civil
authority, maintain the safety of the public, and sustain the industrial/economic base.
In addition, organizations may identify functions that the organization must continue in a
continuity activation, but that are not recognized as PMEFs or MEFs, such as human
resources management, security, and facilities management. These functions remain
essential and are denoted as Essential Supporting Activities. In this FCD, the term “essential
functions” refers to those functions an organization must continue in a continuity activation,
whether the functions are MEFs, PMEFs, or Essential Supporting Activities.
See Annex D – Essential Functions
b. ORDERS OF SUCCESSION. Organizations are responsible for establishing,
promulgating, and maintaining orders of succession to key positions. Such orders of
succession are essential to ensure that the organization has clearly established and identified
leadership and key personnel, if these leaders are incapacitated or otherwise unavailable.
See Annex E – Orders of Succession
c. DELEGATIONS OF AUTHORITY. Delegation of authorities for making policy
determinations and for taking necessary actions at all levels of an organization ensures a
rapid and effective response to any emergency requiring the activation of a continuity plan.
It is vital to clearly establish delegations of authority so that all organization personnel know
who has legal authorization to make key decisions and take necessary actions during
continuity activation and operations. Generally, a predetermined delegation of authority will
take effect when normal channels of direction and control are disrupted and will lapse when
those channels are reestablished.
See Annex F – Delegations of Authority
d. CONTINUITY FACILITIES. The use of continuity facilities enhances the resiliency and
continuity capability of organizations. The term “continuity facilities” is comprehensive,
referring to both alternate and devolution sites where essential functions are continued or
resumed during a continuity event. “Alternate sites” are locations, other than the primary
facility, used to carry out essential functions, usually by relocating Emergency Relocation
Group (ERG) members following activation of the continuity plan. “Devolution sites” are
locations used to carry out essential functions by devolving the essential functions to a
geographically-separated facility and staff following activation of the devolution plan. These
sites refer to not only other facilities and locations, but also work arrangements such as
telework and mobile work concepts.
See Annex G – Continuity Facilities

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e. CONTINUITY COMMUNICATIONS. The ability of an organization to execute its
essential functions at its continuity facilities depends on the identification, availability,
reliability, and redundancy of critical secure and non-secure communications and
information technology (IT) systems. These communications and systems support
connectivity among key government leadership personnel, internal organization elements,
other organizations, critical customers, and the public. By mirroring capabilities used during
day-to-day operations and choosing resilient communications and IT systems that are capable
of operating under conditions that may involve power or other infrastructure disruptions,
organizations further ensure the performance of essential functions in emergency situations.
See Annex H – Continuity Communications
f. ESSENTIAL RECORDS MANAGEMENT. Another critical element of a viable
continuity plan and program is the identification, protection, and ready availability of
electronic and hardcopy documents, references, records, information systems, and data
management software and equipment (including classified and other sensitive data) needed to
support essential functions during a continuity activation. Access to and use of these records
and systems enable the performance of essential functions and reconstitution to normal
operations. To ensure performance of essential functions, organizations pre-position and
regularly update these essential records.
See Annex I – Essential Records Management
g. HUMAN RESOURCES. In a continuity activation, organizations will activate continuity
personnel, referred to as the Emergency Relocation Group (ERG), and expect them to
perform their assigned duties following their organization’s particular plans and procedures.
In addition to supporting the human resources needs of continuity personnel, organizations
are also responsible for supporting employees who are not designated as ERG personnel, but
may also be affected by a continuity event. Procedures and expectations for these employees
should be addressed in continuity and emergency plans, such as the Occupant Emergency
Plan (OEP). The Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 states that “each executive agency
shall incorporate telework into the continuity of operations plans for that agency.” In
preparation for emergencies, organizations should have telework policies in place that
provide employees with instructions, procedures and expectations.
See Annex J – Human Resources
h. TESTS, TRAINING, AND EXERCISES. An effective TT&E program facilitates the
validation of an organization’s continuity capabilities and the Federal Executive Branch’s
ability to perform essential functions during any emergency. Training familiarizes leadership
and staff with the procedures and tasks they must perform when executing continuity plans
and conducting essential functions. Tests and exercises serve to assess and validate all the
components of continuity plans, policies, procedures, systems, and facilities used to ensure
continuance of essential functions and identify issues for subsequent improvement. All
organizations must plan, conduct, and document periodic TT&E events to prepare for allhazards continuity emergencies and disasters, identify deficiencies, and demonstrate the

7

viability of their continuity plans and programs. Deficiencies, actions to correct them, and a
timeline for remedy are documented in an organization’s Corrective Action Program (CAP).
See Annex K – Test, Training, and Exercises
i. DEVOLUTION OF CONTROL AND DIRECTION. Devolution requires the transition
of roles and responsibilities for performance of essential functions through pre-authorized
delegations of authority and responsibility. The authorities are delegated from an
organization’s primary operating staff to other employees internal or external to the
organization in order to sustain essential functions for an extended period. Personnel
stationed at the devolution site who are identified to conduct essential functions are classified
as the Devolution Emergency Response Group (DERG). Devolution planning supports
overall continuity planning and addresses the full spectrum of threats and all-hazards
emergency events that may render an organization’s leadership and staff unavailable to
support, or incapable of supporting, the execution of the organization’s essential functions
from either its primary operating facility or its alternate site.
See Annex L – Devolution of Control and Direction
j. RECONSTITUTION. Reconstitution is the process by which surviving and/or
replacement organization personnel resume normal organization operations from the original
or replacement primary operating facility. Reconstitution embodies the ability of an
organization to recover from a continuity activation that disrupts normal operations so that
the organization can resume its operations as a fully functional entity of the Federal
Government. In some cases, extensive coordination may be necessary to backfill staff,
procure a new operating facility, and re-establish communications, IT infrastructure, and
essential records.
See Annex M – Reconstitution Operations
10. COORDINATION WITH TRIBAL, STATE, TERRITORIAL, AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR: The Federal Government cannot
perform its NEFs, prescribed in NSPD-51/HSPD-20, without the robust involvement of all
levels of government and the private sector. Tribal, state, territorial, and local governments
play an integral role in determining the needs of the public and in ensuring that essential
functions (e.g., police and fire services, emergency medical care) continue on a daily basis.
Federal organizations, as applicable and appropriate, will coordinate with tribal, state,
territorial, and local governments, regional entities, and private sector owners and operators
of the Nation’s critical infrastructure (CI). Such collaboration builds relationships and
ensures unity of effort. Examples of coordination that federal organizations may undertake
include:
1. Collaborating to incorporate capabilities of other entities into the organization’s
continuity planning and exercise activities to the extent possible;
2. Coordinating on risk assessments to identify hazards relevant to the organization’s
mission and location where essential functions are located;

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3. Partnering with these entities to develop continuity plans that are coordinated to the
extent possible;
4. Participating in Continuity Working Groups (CWGs), information sharing, training,
and exercises, as appropriate;
5. Coordinating OEPs, shelter-in-place plans, and regional and local evacuation plans;
6. Participating in existing alert and notification networks and credentialing initiatives,
as appropriate;
7. Working together to identify interdependencies and ensuring resiliency with critical
infrastructure and services at all levels;
8. Coordinating continuity resource and security requirements, as appropriate;
9. Working to augment and strengthen coordination efforts with organizations to
include, but not limited to: DHS/FEMA Regional/State-level CWGs, DHS/Office of
Infrastructure Protection and the various CI Sector Coordinating Councils and
Government Coordinating Councils, and Federal Executive Boards; and
10. Participating in other coordination activities, as appropriate.
11. CONTINUITY PLAN OPERATIONAL PHASES AND IMPLEMENTATION:
A continuity plan is implemented to ensure the continuation or rapid resumption of essential
functions during a continuity activation. The development of an executive decision-making
process allows for a review of the emergency and a determination of the best course of action
based on the organization’s readiness posture. The continuity implementation process
includes four phases: readiness and preparedness, activation, continuity operations, and
reconstitution. Organizations may implement the four phases as illustrated in Figure 3.

Figure 3

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The readiness and preparedness phase includes all organization continuity readiness and
preparedness activities including development, review, and revision of plans; TT&E; and risk
management. The activation phase includes the activation of organizational continuity plans
and all associated procedures necessary to support the continued performance of essential
functions. While some personnel may have to relocate to continue essential functions,
geographic dispersion also assists organizations in ensuring redundancy and resiliency. The
continuity operations phase includes activities to continue essential functions, including
communicating with supporting and supported organizations, customers, and stakeholders.
Organizations plan for reconstitution prior to activation of their continuity plan and
concurrently with continuity operations. However, reconstitution is implemented when the
emergency, or threat of emergency, is over, and organizations initiate operations for
resuming normal business operations.
See Annex N – Continuity Plan Operational Phases and Implementation
12. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Individuals at all levels of an organization maintain
responsibility to ensure the continuation of essential functions during a continuity event.
Assigned responsibilities are outlined in NSPD-51/HSPD-20 and the NCPIP.
13. POINT OF CONTACT: Should you have any questions or need additional assistance with
the information contained in the FCD, please contact the Assistant Administrator, National
Continuity Programs (NCP), FEMA, at 202-646-4145.
14. DISTRIBUTION: This FCD is distributed to the heads of federal organizations, senior
policy officials, emergency planners, and other interested parties.

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FCD 1

ANNEX A.

PROGRAM PLANS AND PROCEDURES

An organization implements an effective continuity program through its related plans and
procedures, an effective continuity TT&E program, and an operational capability to support
those plans and procedures. A critical part of developing a comprehensive continuity plan is the
establishment of planning and procedural objectives and requirements and use of metrics to
ensure that an essential function continues during a continuity activation, given the criticality and
priority of the essential function.
Continuity planning is an effort to document and ensure the capability to continue organization
essential functions during a wide range of potential emergencies. The objectives of continuity
planning include:
1. Ensuring that an organization can perform its essential functions under all conditions;
2. Reducing the loss of life and minimizing property damage and loss;
3. Executing a successful order of succession with accompanying delegation of authorities
in the event a disruption renders that organization’s leadership and key personnel
unavailable or incapable of assuming and performing their authorities and responsibilities
of the respective office;
4. Reducing or mitigating disruptions to operations;
5. Ensuring that there are facilities from which organizations can perform essential
functions;
6. Protecting personnel, facilities, equipment, records, and other assets critical to the
performance of essential functions in the event of a disruption;
7. Achieving the organization’s timely and orderly recovery and reconstitution from an
emergency; and
8. Ensuring and validating continuity readiness through a dynamic and integrated continuity
TT&E program and operational capability.
REQUIREMENTS FOR CONTINUITY PLANS AND PROCEDURES:
1. Organizations must develop and document a continuity plan and its supporting
procedures so that, when implemented, the plan and procedures provide for the continued
performance of an organization’s essential functions under all circumstances and provide
for integration with other Government and non-government organizations, as appropriate.
2. The Organization Head, such as the Secretary, Director, or Administrator, or a designee,
must approve and sign the continuity plan, to include significant updates or addendums.
3. Organizations must annually review their continuity plan and update, if changes occur,
and document the date of the review and the names of personnel conducting the review.
4. The continuity plan and procedures must:
a. Address the key elements of continuity: essential functions, orders of succession,
delegations of authority, continuity facilities, continuity communications,
essential records, human resources, TT&E, devolution, and reconstitution; and
address the requirements associated with each element as found in this FCD;
b. Address the supporting elements of continuity: program plans and procedures,
risk management, budgeting and acquisition, and operational phases and
implementation; and address the requirements associated with each element as
found in this FCD;

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FCD 1

5.
6.

7.
8.

c. Address the four phases of continuity: (1) readiness and preparedness, (2)
activation, (3) continuity operations, and (4) reconstitution;
d. Provide a process for determining the organization’s readiness posture and for
decision-making regarding its corresponding actions to increase readiness
postures. Federal Executive Branch HQ organizations must establish internal
procedures for executing changes to the Continuity of Government Readiness
Conditions (COGCON), as appropriate. Both HQ and non-HQ organizations
must consider tribal, state, territorial, regional, or private sector continuity
preparedness or activation directions in their internal procedures for executing
changes to readiness levels;
e. Provide a process or methodology that ensures plan implementation, including a
decision matrix for continuity plan activation with warning during duty and nonduty hours and without warning during duty and non-duty hours;
f. Establish and maintain appropriate relocation procedures and instructions for how
ERG members will relocate to alternate sites;
g. Establish and maintain appropriate procedures and instructions on devolving
functions to the DERG at a devolution site;
h. Detail the transition of responsibilities to the deployed ERG or DERG;
i. Provide a process for attaining operational capability at all continuity facilities
within the minimal acceptable period for essential function disruption, but in all
cases within 12 hours of plan activation for PMEFs and for MEFs and Essential
Supporting Activities associated with the performance of PMEFs;
j. Provide a process or methodology ensuring that sustained operations can be
maintained for up to 30 days or until normal operations resume. This includes
planning for the challenges posed by extended events; and
k. Identify and establish procedures to ensure essential resources, facilities, and
records are safeguarded, available, and accessible to support continuity
operations. Essential resources should include ERG members, equipment,
systems, infrastructures, supplies, and other assets required to perform an
organization’s essential functions.
Organizations must incorporate continuity requirements into their daily operations to
ensure seamless and immediate continuation of essential function capabilities.
Annually, all non-HQ organization entities, including subcomponent, regional and field
offices, must submit the following documentation to its organization HQ, via appropriate
reporting channels, to provide visibility on continuity efforts at all levels of the
organization:
a. Certification by the Organization Head or a designee that the component/office
maintains a continuity plan and the date of plan signature. Organizations may use
regional or overarching continuity/devolution plans that integrate the continuity
capabilities of multiple subordinate organizations; and
b. Certification by the Organization Head or a designee that the component/office
participates in an annual exercise that incorporates the deliberate and preplanned
movement of continuity personnel to an alternate site and the date of last exercise.
Organization HQs must maintain a record of the date of continuity plan signature and last
continuity exercise for the HQ and all components.
Organization HQs must submit monthly Readiness Reporting System (RRS) reports.

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FCD 1

ANNEX B.

RISK MANAGEMENT

Risk management is the process of identifying, analyzing, assessing, and communicating risk
and accepting, avoiding, transferring, or controlling it to an acceptable level considering
associated costs and benefits of any actions taken. 1 Effective risk management practices and
procedures will assist organizations in accomplishing continuity objectives.
An effective risk management program includes continuity of operations as part of its risk
mitigation strategy. For this effort, the critical question will be: How should I invest my limited
resources across the four continuity pillars—leadership, staff, facilities and communications—to
ensure that my organization satisfies its continuity requirements?
When executing a risk management process for continuity operations, organizations consider a
range of factors, such as the probabilities of events occurring, mission priorities, and impact
assessments. Organizations should also consider cost, because informed decisions about
acceptable and unacceptable levels of risk will ultimately drive the expenditure of resources (i.e.,
money, people, and time) to mitigate risk. Organizations can never fully mitigate risk, because
no organization can afford to counter every threat to its mission. Successful continuity planning,
then, demands an intelligent analysis and prioritization of where and when to focus resources and
apply funding and other assets.
A continuity risk assessment includes an assessment of the likelihood of threats and hazards to
normal operations and public safety, such as natural disasters, disruptions of communication,
power, and other utilities, and acts of terrorism and war. It also includes an assessment of the
consequences of any event that may occur in terms of continuity operations.
Risk management requires leadership to think beyond the internal effects of their organization’s
inability to perform essential functions. Organization leaders and staff at all levels need to also
consider the interdependencies between and among organizations that share critical roles in the
delivery of NEF capabilities. To the extent possible, organizations should partner with Tribal,
State, Territorial, and local governments, as well as with owners and operators of private-sector
CI and other relevant parties, to ensure continuity plans are coordinated between these entities
and the Federal Executive Branch.
This annex provides an overview of risk management principles, the risk management process,
and explains how to use the risk management process to promote continuity operation.
Risk Management Principles
A number of common principles should form the foundation for all risk management programs.
These risk management principles offer broad guidance that organizations can uniquely tailor to
their specific needs. These principles should include concepts such as practicality, which is
based on the acknowledgement and acceptance of the limitations of the state of understanding
regarding the various risks that organizations may face; transparency, which establishes that risk
management information must be available and openly conveyed when appropriate; and
1

Department of Homeland Security Risk Lexicon 2010.

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FCD 1

adaptability, which relates to utilizing risk management practices in a manner that allows the
process to remain dynamic and responsive to risk.
The Risk Management Process
The recommended risk management cycle to support continuity decision-making, which was
introduced by DHS in 2009 2, is comprised of six analytical and management phases and entails:
1. Defining and framing the context of the decision and related goals and objectives to
include an understanding of the kinds of risks associated with them;
2. Identifying the risks associated with the goals and objectives;
3. Analyzing and assessing the risks, with particular focus on the threats, vulnerabilities,
and consequences;
4. Developing alternative strategies for managing the risks to essential functions and
analyzing their costs and benefits;
5. Making a decision among alternatives, as well as communicating and implementing that
decision; and
Define the
6. Monitoring the implemented alternatives to
Context
compare observed and expected effects, and
Evaluate and
Identify
influence subsequent risk management
Monitor
Potential Risk
endeavors and decisions.
Risk communication underpins each phase of the
risk management process. Risk communication is
the exchange of information with the goal of
improving risk understanding, affecting risk
perception and/or equipping people or groups to act
appropriately in response to an identified risk.

Communication

Decide and
Implement

Assess and
Analyze Risk
Develop
Alternatives

Figure 4: DHS Risk Management Process

The risk management process provides a useful
framework for assessing the readiness and resiliency of an organization in performing its
essential functions. The following sections describe the key elements that an organization should
address in each of the phases of the risk management process.
1. Define the Context: The first step in the risk management process is to define the context of
the decision that the risk management effort seeks to support. When scoping the requirements
and constraints to be considered within a particular risk management process, the organization
considers an array of variables:
1. The goals and objectives of the organization;
2. Its mission;
3. The scope and criticality of its essential functions; and
4. The decision timeframe for selecting continuity priorities.

2

DHS Risk Management Fundamentals: Homeland Security Risk Management Doctrine, April 2011.

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FCD 1

Organizations will individually tailor other variables:
1. Organizational risk management capabilities and resources;
2. The various stakeholders involved in continuity risk management;
3. The availability and quality of information on continuity risks; and
4. Any constraining factors.
By considering each of these elements systematically, decision makers and the analysts who
support them are able to design an approach for identifying, assessing, and analyzing risks to an
organization’s essential functions and proposed risk management strategies that are
commensurate with the organization’s operating context.
2. Identify Potential Risk: Organizations should identify a preliminary list of risks to their
essential functions using knowledge of the subject matter of the decision. Risks to continuity
include exploring potential natural events, intentional man-made events, and non-intentional
man-made events (also known as technological hazards) that could adversely affect the ability of
the organization to perform essential functions. They also include other operational and
institutional risks that could prevent an organization from performing its essential functions.
3. Analyze and Assess Risk: This phase of the cycle consists of gathering data, executing the
continuity risk assessment methodology, and analyzing the results. To support decision making,
analyzing and assessing risk is done via the following sub-steps.
Gathering data. Data are gathered to populate the assessment based on the requirements of the
continuity risk assessment. While there are a number of potential sources for risk information,
some of the most commonly used sources include historical records, elicitation of subject matter
experts, and simulations. At this stage, initial data should be reviewed for potential errors.
Executing the methodology. Once the necessary data is gathered, the organization executes a risk
assessment methodology. Many risk methodologies exist, so when choosing a risk assessment
methodology, organizations should ensure to remain within their capabilities. The most
important factor to consider in selecting a methodology is the decision the assessment must
inform. Once a risk assessment methodology is chosen, the organization executes the
methodology, re-checking the data for errors throughout the execution of the assessment, as the
organization may not notice an error in an intermediate step. After the methodology has been
fully executed, the organization should analyze its outputs.
Analyzing the results. Once the data are populated and the execution is complete, the results are
then analyzed to identify relevant and interesting features for continuity of operations decisionmaking to promote better management of continuity risks. Results should be analyzed within
organizations and, when appropriate, shared across the Federal Executive Branch.

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FCD 1

4. Develop Alternatives: Developing alternatives is the process of creating viable options for
managing risks in order to ensure decision makers are able to consider relevant, comparable, and
scoped options that account for a comprehensive set of factors. The procedure for developing
risk management strategies includes:
1. Considering opportunities for and constraints on risk treatment; and
2. Establishing a common framework to evaluate and compare alternatives.
When developing alternatives to manage risk, it is helpful to consider options in four categories:
Avoid: Risk avoidance refers to the process of removing risk by eliminating the situation or
activity that presents the risk.
Control: Risk control refers to the process of identifying a risk and deciding on an option to
reduce and control that risk to an acceptable level.
Accept: Risk acceptance refers to the concept that some risk cannot be eliminated, and that some
risk may be worth assuming.
Transfer: Risk transfer refers to the process of transferring the risk to another stakeholder.
In considering alternative risk management treatments for promoting continuity, it is important
to consider objectives, methods to achieve objectives, key constraints and the resources required
to implement each treatment, as well as factors that would influence implementation and
sustainability. Additionally, since risks often shift, it is important to revisit the alternatives
development process, incorporate new information, and re-evaluate the options based on
changed circumstances.
5. Decide Upon and Implement Risk Management Strategies: Decision makers need to
consider the feasibility of implementing options to support continuity and how various
alternatives affect and reduce risk. This includes the consideration of resources, capabilities,
time to implement, political will, legal issues, the potential impact on stakeholders, and the
potential for unintentionally transferring risk within the organization.
Once a decision has been made, the decision maker ensures that an appropriate management
structure is in place to implement the decision. The decision maker should establish a program
management approach, which will document the planning, organizing, and managing of
resources necessary for the successful implementation of the risk management strategy.
6. Evaluation and Monitoring: After implementation of the strategies, the organization
monitors whether the implemented risk management treatments achieve the desired goals and
objectives, as well as whether the risks facing an organization are changing. This can be done
via exercises, through real-world experience or through security vulnerability testing. A core
element of the evaluation and monitoring phase involves using reporting on performance and
results by developing concrete, realistic metrics.

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FCD 1

It is critical that organizations assign responsibility for monitoring and tracking effectiveness of
continuity efforts, and that evaluation methods are flexible and adaptable. Evaluating and
monitoring implemented risk management strategies is similar to overall performance
management of continuity activities. The results of the monitoring step should inform
subsequent iterations of the risk management cycle.
The risk management cycle involves a series of steps that organizations can perform at different
levels of detail with varying degrees of formality. The key to using this process to promote
continuity of operations is completing each step in a way that provides accurate and adequate
information to the decision maker so that he or she can make informed decisions about how best
to manage risks to essential functions and ensure continuity.
REQUIREMENTS FOR RISK MANAGEMENT:
1. Organizations must apply a risk-based framework across all continuity efforts in order to
identify and assess potential hazards, determine what levels of relative risk are
acceptable, and prioritize and allocate resources and budgets to ensure continuity under
all manner of incident conditions.
2. Organizations must conduct and document a risk assessment, to include a Business
Impact Analysis, against all hazards at least every five years for all capabilities associated
with the continuance of essential functions, to include all primary operating facilities,
continuity facilities, personnel, systems, and records. These risk assessments provide
reliable and comprehensive data to inform risk mitigation decisions that will allow
organizations to protect assets, systems, networks, and functions while determining the
likely causes and impacts of any disruption. The assessment must include:
a. Identification of potential, known risk, and the likelihood of its occurrence, which
has direct impact on the ability of the organization to support the continuation of
essential functions;
b. An assessment of the vulnerability of the organization and its essential functions
to identified hazards;
c. An assessment of the impact of the failure of the identified essential functions
caused by identified hazards;
d. Identification of appropriate mitigation and protective measures, to include
measures necessary during a pandemic influenza;
e. A cost-benefit analysis of implementing risk mitigation, prevention, or control
measures;
f. An operational plan to provide and implement selected mitigation, prevention,
protection, or control measures, to include those necessary during a pandemic;
and
3. Organizations must develop operational plans to provide and implement selected
mitigation, prevention, protection, or control measures, to decrease the threat of and
impact from identified risks, to include pandemic.
a. Organizations must conduct an analysis of the remaining risk based on
implemented measures.

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FCD 1

ANNEX C.

BUDGETING AND ACQUISITION OF
RESOURCES

It is critical for organizational resilience to identify the people, communications, facilities,
infrastructure, and transportation requirements necessary for the successful implementation and
management of an organization’s continuity program. To support these programs, it is necessary
to align and allocate the budgetary resources needed to acquire and then implement these
requirements. Through the budgeting and planning process, an organization’s leaders and staff
will ensure the availability and resilience of critical continuity resources needed to continue
performing the organization’s essential functions before, during, and after a continuity activation.
The Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) reviews all funding requests for
continuity activities and evaluates organization performance in executing continuity budgets.
Additional requirements for the Director of OMB are found in the NCPIP.
When developing continuity budgets or making acquisition decisions, an organization should
consider:
1. Identifying the budgetary requirements for addressing organizational resilience and
continuity interdependencies in the performance of internal and other organizations’
essential functions;
2. Coordinating with the General Services Administration (GSA) to use pre-established
acquisition, supply, storage, distribution and transportation mechanisms; and
3. Additional continuity factors such as probabilities of occurrence, mission priorities, and
impact assessments, as part of the continuity risk management methodology.
Further, organizations may also consider cost, because informed decisions about acceptable and
unacceptable levels of risk will ultimately drive the expenditure of resources (i.e., money,
people, and time) to mitigate risk.
REQUIREMENTS FOR BUDGETING AND ACQUISITION:
1. Organizations must identify and provide continuity funding and specific budgetary
requirements for all levels of their organizations, including subordinate components and
regional and field offices, to establish and maintain the requirements for all elements of a
viable and resilient continuity capability.
2. Organizations must develop a continuity Multi-Year Strategy and Program Management
Plan (MYSPMP) that provides for the development, maintenance, and annual review of
continuity capabilities, requiring an organization to consider:
a. Performance of essential functions;
b. Both short-term and long-term goals and objectives for plans and procedures;
c. Issues, concerns, and potential obstacles to implementing their program, as well
as a strategy for addressing these, as appropriate;
d. Planning, training, and exercise activities, as well as milestones for accomplishing
these activities;
e. ERG members, infrastructure, communications, transportation, and other
resources needed to support the program;
f. Budgetary requirements to support the program;

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FCD 1

3.
4.

5.

6.

7.

g. Risk management principles and primary operating facility and continuity facility
risk assessments to ensure that appropriate operational readiness decisions are
based on the probability of an attack or other incident and its consequences;
h. Geographic dispersion into the organization’s normal daily operations, as
appropriate;
i. The organization’s security strategies that address personnel, physical, and
information security to protect plans, personnel, facilities, and capabilities, to
prevent adversaries from disrupting continuity plans and operations; and
j. A CAP that draws upon evaluations, after-action reports, and lessons learned from
tests, training, and exercises and real world events.
Organizations must integrate continuity budgets with their MYSPMP and link the
budgets directly to objectives and metrics set forth in that plan.
Organizations must identify provisions for the acquisition and procurement of necessary
equipment, supplies, resources, and personnel that are not already in place at the
continuity facilities on an emergency basis and needed to sustain operations for up to 30
days or until normal operations resume.
Organizations must budget for and acquire continuity capabilities in accordance with
NSPD-51/HSPD-20 and National Communications System (NCS) Directive 3-10, as
applicable.
Organizations must identify and integrate continuity requirements into existing and future
contracts, as applicable, to ensure continuation of essential functions during crisis and
sustainment for up to 30 days or until normal operations resume.
The Administrator of GSA, in collaboration with the Secretary of Homeland Security,
shall identify GSA programs and acquisition vehicles capable of being used by all
organizations for the purposes of planning for, detecting, responding to, and mitigating
the effects of emergencies and disasters outlined herein.

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FCD 1

ANNEX D.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The Federal Executive Branch recognizes that the entire spectrum of government functions may
not be performed or needed in the immediate aftermath of an emergency. Indeed, in a crisis,
resources may be scarce. Allocating resources based on sound planning helps to ensure that the
delivery of essential functions will remain uninterrupted across a wide range of potential
emergencies.
The identification and prioritization of essential functions is the foundation for continuity
planning. Essential functions are a subset of government functions that are determined to be
critical activities. These essential functions are then used to identify supporting tasks and
resources that must be included in the organization’s continuity planning process. In this FCD,
the term “essential functions” refers to those functions an organization must continue in a
continuity situation, whether the functions are MEFs, PMEFs, or Essential Supporting Activities.
FCD 2 provides detailed guidance to organizations to assist in the identification, prioritization,
and resourcing of these essential functions. The immediacy of maintaining or recovering
essential functions capability is driven by the results of Business Process Analyses (BPAs), as
detailed in FCD 2.
Subsequently, the described risk management approach conducted via Business Impact Analyses
(BIAs) requires an emphasis on the geographic dispersion, redundancy, and availability of
leadership, staff, and infrastructure. Planners should assume that they will have no warning of
the threats faced in today’s world. Threats might come from known or unknown sources and do
not necessarily emanate from a single, fixed, and understood actor. Threats require planners to
consider different approaches to plan for, mitigate, and respond.
REQUIREMENTS FOR ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
1. Organizations must identify and prioritize their essential functions, using the
methodology outlined in FCD 2, and document them in its continuity plan. These
essential functions serve as the framework for the continuity plan and organizations
should account for all continuity capabilities required for the performance essential
functions.
2. Organizations must review their government functions to determine those directed by
applicable laws, presidential directives, executive orders, and other directives.
3. Organizations must conduct a BPA to determine the essential functions that they must
perform under all circumstances either uninterrupted, with minimal interruption, or
requiring immediate execution in an emergency.
a. The BPA must identify and map the functional processes, workflows, activities,
resources, personnel expertise, supplies, equipment, infrastructures, systems, data,
and facilities inherent to the execution of each identified essential function.
b. The organization head or designee must validate and approve the identified
essential functions and BPA.
4. Organizations must conduct a business-process flow map to identify how each essential
function is performed and executed.
5. Organizations must determine the PMEFs that need to be continued uninterrupted or
resumed within 12 hours, regardless of circumstance.

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FCD 1

6. Organizations must identify internal and external interdependencies that are part of
and/or influence each essential function business process.
7. Organizations must identify those essential functions that provide interdependent support
to an essential function performed by another organization, including when and where the
vital support would be provided.
8. Organizations must annually review their essential functions and BPAs and document the
date of the review and names of personnel conducting the review. Organizations must
incorporate any identified changes generated by new organization programs or functions
or by organizational changes to existing programs or functions.

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FCD 1

ANNEX E.

ORDERS OF SUCCESSION

Leadership is responsible for establishing, promulgating, and maintaining orders of succession to
key positions. It is critical to have a clear line of succession established in the event an
organization’s leadership becomes debilitated or incapable of performing its legal and authorized
duties, roles, and responsibilities. The designation as a successor enables that individual serve in
the same position as a principal in the event of that principal’s death, incapacity, or resignation.
Orders of succession are prepared to provide clarity of leadership in the event that individuals
serving in senior leadership, key decision-making, or management roles are unavailable.
Orders of succession are a formal, sequential listing of organization positions (rather than
specific names of individuals) that identify who is authorized to assume a particular leadership or
management role under specific circumstances. Orders of succession enable an orderly and
predefined transition of leadership within the organization. Orders of succession are an essential
part of an organization’s continuity plans and should reach to a sufficient depth and have
sufficient breadth to ensure the organization can perform its essential functions while remaining
a viable part of the Federal Government during the course of any emergency. Geographical
dispersion, including use of regional, field, or satellite leadership in the standard organization
line of succession, is encouraged and ensures roles and responsibilities can transfer in all
contingencies.
In some cases, orders of succession are prescribed by statute. In other cases, an organization
may have the latitude to develop orders of succession for particular positions to ensure critical
decisions can be made during temporary absences of senior personnel.
REQUIREMENTS FOR ORDERS OF SUCCESSION:
1. Organizations must establish and document orders of succession in advance and in
accordance with applicable laws to ensure there is an orderly and predefined transition of
leadership during any emergency.
2. Organizations must establish an order of succession for the position of organization head
to ensure a designated official is available to serve as acting head of the organization until
that official is appointed by the President or other appropriate authority, replaced by the
permanently appointed official, or otherwise relieved.
3. Organizations must establish orders of succession for other key organization leadership
positions, including, but not limited to, administrators, regional or field directors, and key
managers.
4. Within each order of succession, organizations must include at least three positions
permitted to succeed to the identified leadership position.
5. Organizations must describe orders of succession by positions or titles, rather than by the
names of the individuals holding those offices.
6. Heads of Category I and II HQ organizations, as identified in NSPD-51/HSPD-20, must
include at least one individual in their order of succession who is geographically
dispersed from the organization head and other individuals within the order of
succession. All organizations should include an individual who is geographically
dispersed in all HQ and non-HQ orders of succession, where feasible.

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FCD 1

7. Organizations at all levels must coordinate the development and revision of orders of
succession with their general counsel or chief counsel to ensure legal sufficiency.
8. Organizations must include orders of succession in the essential records and ensure they
are available at all continuity facilities.
9. Organizations must revise orders of succession, as necessary, and distribute the revisions
promptly as changes occur to higher organization authorities, potential successors,
affected staff, and others, as appropriate.

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FCD 1

ANNEX F.

DELEGATIONS OF AUTHORITY

To ensure a rapid response to any emergency and to minimize disruptions that require
implementation of continuity plans, organizations pre-delegate the authority to make policy
determinations and decisions, at the HQ, regional, field, satellite, and other offices, as
appropriate. Delegations of authority ensure the orderly and predefined transition of leadership
responsibilities within an organization during a continuity activation and are closely tied to
succession. A delegation of authority provides successors with the legal authorization to act on
behalf of the Organization Head or other officials for specified purposes and to carry out specific
duties. Delegations of authority will generally specify a particular function, including
limitations, conditions, and restrictions, that an individual is deemed by the organization as
qualified to perform.
To the extent possible, organizations should identify the individuals to whom authorities are
delegated by position title and not by name. At minimum, a delegation of authority should exist
for the individuals listed in the orders of succession. Delegations of authorities are frequently
tied to specific positions, but since many delegations require specific training, qualifications, and
certification, organizations must associate some delegations of authority with a specific
individual.
Generally, predetermined delegations of authority will take effect when normal channels of
direction are disrupted and will terminate when these channels are reestablished. Delegation of
authority is an essential part of an organization’s continuity plans and should reach to a sufficient
depth and have sufficient breadth to ensure the organization can perform its essential functions
while remaining a viable part of the Federal Government during the course of any emergency.
REQUIREMENTS FOR DELEGATIONS OF AUTHORITY:
1. In accordance with applicable laws, organizations must establish and document in
advance the legal authority for the position of Organization Head and other key
supporting positions to make key policy decisions during a continuity situation,
including:
a. Outlining explicitly in a statement the authority, including any exceptions to that
authority, of an official so designated to exercise organization direction;
b. Delineating the limits of authority and accountability;
c. Establishing the rules and procedures designated officials must follow when
facing the issues of succession to office;
d. Outlining the authority of officials to re-delegate functions and activities, as
appropriate;
e. Defining the circumstances under which delegation of authorities would take
effect and would be terminated; and
f. Incorporating the conditions under which delegations will take place, the method
of notification, the duration the delegations may last, conditions when the
delegations may be terminated, and any temporal, geographical, or organizational
limitations to the authorities granted by the orders of succession or delegations of
authorities, including the ability to re-delegate authorities

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FCD 1

2. Organizations must inform those officials listed within the delegations of authority who
might be expected to assume authorities in a continuity activation.
3. Organizations must include delegations of authority as an essential record and ensure
they are available at all continuity facilities.
4. Organizations at all levels must coordinate the development and revision of delegations
of authority with their general counsel or chief counsel to ensure legal sufficiency.

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FCD 1

ANNEX G.

CONTINUITY FACILITIES

The use of continuity facilities, alternate usages of existing facilities, and telework options
enhances the resiliency and continuity capability of organizations. When identifying and
preparing continuity facilities, organizations should maximize use of existing local or field
infrastructures, including consideration for other supporting options such as telework, mobile
work, and joint or shared facilities. Additionally, it is financially prudent to structure and
configure continuity facilities such that organizations can replace or augment daily activities with
those required during an emergency. Organizations must establish and select continuity facilities
using an accounting of the risks associated with natural disasters, power outages, information
technology issues, and other threats. Organizations should select and construct facilities that are
not uniquely susceptible to risks associated with natural disasters and select facilities in locations
that provide the continuity facilities with power, telecommunication services, and internet access,
separate from those grids that provide their services to the primary facility, whenever possible.
The term “continuity facilities” is comprehensive, referring to both continuity and devolution
sites where essential functions are continued or resumed during a continuity event. “Alternate
sites” are locations, other than the primary facility, used to carry out essential functions by
relocating ERG members following activation of the continuity plan. “Devolution sites” are
locations used to carry out essential functions by devolving the essential functions to a
geographically-separated facility and staff (the DERG) following activation of the devolution
plan. These sites refer to not only other facilities and locations, but also work arrangements such
as telework and mobile work concepts.
A continuity facility may be classified as one of the following three types:
1. Hot site: A continuity facility that already has in place the computer, telecommunications,
other information technology, infrastructure, and personnel required to recover essential
functions.
2. Warm site: A continuity facility that is equipped with some computer,
telecommunications, other information technology, and environmental infrastructure,
which is capable of providing backup after additional personnel, equipment, supplies,
software, or customization are provided.
3. Cold site: A facility that is not manned on a day-to-day basis by personnel from primary
operating facility. Organizations may be required to pre-install telecommunication
equipment and IT infrastructure upon selection/purchase and deploy designated IT
essential personnel to the facility to activate equipment/systems before it can be used.
Organizations may make use of existing organization or other space for continuity facilities:
1. Remote/offsite training facilities: These facilities may include an organization training
facility located near the organization’s normal operating facility, but far enough away to
afford some geographical dispersion.
2. Regional or field offices: Some organizations have a regional office or a field office that
they can use as a continuity facility.
3. Remote HQ operations: Some organization HQ operations are so extensive that their
operations and the facilities required to support them extend beyond the geographic
expanse of the organization HQ host city, and necessitate an additional HQ location(s)
elsewhere. One of these locations could serve as continuity facility.

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FCD 1

4. Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)/Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for colocation with another organization: One organization may relocate to another
organization’s facilities. The organization that is relocating could occupy available space
in the receiving organization’s HQ or training facilities, field offices, or other spaces.
5. Space procured and maintained by GSA: An organization may request GSA to acquire,
equip and sustain both privately and/or federally-owned and leased space to
accommodate that organization’s need for continuity facilities.
6. Space procured and maintained by another organization: Some organizations, other than
GSA, offer space procurement services that organizations can use for continuity facilities.
7. Participation in a joint-use continuity facility: Several organizations may pool their
resources to acquire space they can use jointly as a continuity facility. With this option,
organizations will ensure that shared facilities are not overcommitted during a continuity
activation. An organization may co-locate with another organization at a continuity
facility, but each organization should have individually designated space and other
resources at that location to meet its own needs.
8. Alternate use of existing facilities: In certain types of continuity activations,
organizations may use a combination of facilities and strategies, such as social distancing,
to support continuity operations.
9. Telework: The official definition of telework, as found in the Telework Enhancement Act
of 2010, is “a work flexibility arrangement under which an employee performs the duties
and responsibilities of such employee’s position, and other authorized activities, from an
approved worksite other than the location from which the employee would otherwise
work.” Many organizations have programs that allow employees to telework. This
capability is leveraged to allow ERG members to fulfill their essential functions at an
approved alternative worksite (such as at home or a telework center).
10. Mobile work: Mobile work is characterized by travel to conduct work in customer or
other worksites as opposed to a single authorized alternative worksite, such as work
performed while commuting, traveling between worksites, or on temporary duty. This
capability includes the use of mobile drive-away kits (such as laptop computers, cell
phones, and satellite communications equipment), which can be readily transported to a
remote location.
REQUIREMENTS FOR CONTINUITY FACILITIES:
1. At a minimum, organizations must identify, prepare, and maintain continuity facilities,
including an alternate site for the relocation of their ERG and a devolution site for the
devolution of essential functions to the DERG. This capability can encompass separate
facilities; alternate usages of existing facilities; and, as appropriate, work arrangements,
including telework and mobile work. It is recommended that organizations coordinate
with GSA for assistance in identifying physical relocation sites.
2. Organizations must review continuity facilities for their suitability and functionality at
least annually, to ensure that the facilities meet their continuity requirements, and
document the date of the review and names of personnel conducting the review.
3. Organizations must choose continuity facilities located in areas where the potential
disruption of the organization’s ability to initiate and sustain operations is minimized,
based upon their risk assessments.

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FCD 1

4. Continuity facilities must have sufficient distance, based upon risk assessments and as
judged by the organization, from the primary operating facility, threatened area, and other
facilities or locations that are potential sources of disruptions or threats.
5. Organizations must have all critical supplies and equipment pre-positioned or maintain
detailed site preparation and activation plans in order to achieve full operational
capability within 12 hours of notification.
6. After selecting appropriate facilities for continuity operations, organizations must ensure
the continued availability of facility space and services by coordinating with site facility
managers and property owners, if applicable.
7. If the continuity facilities are neither owned nor leased by the organization, organizations
must prepare and sign a MOA/MOU with the owner or occupant of the facility and
review the MOA/MOU annually, documenting the review with the date of review and
names of personnel conducting the review. At a minimum, MOAs/MOUs must specify:
a. The required notification time for owner/occupant of the facility to have it
configured and available for occupancy as a continuity facility;
b. Space and services to be provided at the facility; and
c. Sole use of allocated space by the organization during the period of occupancy.
8. Organizations must establish and maintain procedures for the orientation, in-processing,
and reception of ERG and DERG personnel and for conducting operations and
administration at all continuity facilities.
9. All U.S. Government organizations and their associated entities (including HQ, regional,
and field offices), must report the locations of their alternate sites (not devolution sites)
for entry in a classified central database, per NCPIP mandate. Organizations can meet
compliance via completion and submission of the Standard Form (SF)-336, “GSA
Alternate Facility Reporting Form” available via classified systems at
https://gsapergamum.gold.ic.gov. Organizations without access to classified systems can
access this form via unclassified means at gsa.gov/forms and submit via classified fax at
202-501-1068. Organizations are required to annually review and re-submit their SF336. Organizations may contact GSA's Office of Emergency Response and Recovery at
[email protected] and/or 202-501-0012 for further instructions.
10. Identified alternate and devolution sites must ensure the following, by either ensuring the
capability exists at the facility prior to activation or by ensuring availability within 12
hours for PMEFs and within the acceptable recovery time determined for other essential
functions:
a. Replication of essential capabilities by providing systems and configurations that
are used in daily activities;
b. Interoperable communications, including the means for secure communications if
appropriate, with all identified essential internal and external organizations, as
well as with customers and the public;
c. Computer equipment, software, and other automated data processing equipment
necessary to carry out essential functions and information systems are up-to-date
with the latest software and system updates;
d. Capabilities to access and use essential records necessary to facilitate the
performance of essential functions;

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FCD 1

e. The capability to perform essential functions as soon as possible after continuity
activation with minimal disruption of operations, the ability to maintain this
capability for up to 30 days or until normal operations resume, and the capability
to perform these essential functions under all threat conditions;
f. Reliable logistical support, services, and infrastructure systems;
g. Consideration of the availability of essential support resources such as food,
water, fuel, medical facilities, and municipal services, such as fire and police, to
ensure the health, safety, and security of ERG/DERG members;
h. Emergency/back-up power capability, so that essential functions and operations
can continue in the event the primary source of power is disrupted;
i. Housing to support the ERG/DERG at or near the continuity facilities, such as
billeting within the facility, other locations, including motels, or at ERG/DERG
members’ homes if within commuting distance to the continuity facility;
j. A defined transportation support plan that details ERG/DERG transportation to,
from, and on the site; and
k. Sufficient levels of physical and information security to protect against all threats,
as identified in the facility’s risk assessment and physical security surveys. This
includes sufficient personnel to provide perimeter, access, and internal security, as
required by organization policy.
Telework
All organizations must incorporate telework into their continuity plan and procedures by:
1. Assessing the organization’s essential functions to identify which functions the
organization must conduct onsite and which functions the organization can conduct via
telework, including evaluating the use of telework for supporting extended continuity
operations and use by non-ERG personnel.
a. For those essential functions that employees must conduct onsite, organizations
must classify jobs by exposure risk level to pandemic influenza. Organizations
must notify these employees that they are expected to work onsite during an
influenza pandemic.
2. Establishing and maintaining plans and procedures to use telework as a primary or backup continuity strategy for those essential functions and supporting tasks that are telework
authorized, based upon the assessment.
3. Establishing a policy under which eligible employees, both ERG and non-ERG
personnel, are authorized to telework during a continuity event.
4. Notifying all employees of their eligibility to telework during a continuity activation.
5. Ensuring that each eligible employee is authorized to telework during a continuity
activation by successfully completing an interactive telework training program prior to
entering into and signing a written telework agreement with his/her supervisor.
6. Coordinating with the organization’s designated Telework Managing Officer when
developing and integrating the organization’s continuity plan.

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FCD 1

Organizations using telework as a primary or back-up continuity strategy must:
1. Adhere to policy and guidance governing the use of telework. 3
2. Provide protection of information and information systems used during telework
activities according to government standards. 4
3. Coordinate with the organization’s Chief Information Officer to identify equipment and
technical support requirements.
4. Provide access to essential records and databases and the robust communications
necessary to sustain an organization’s essential functions at the telework site locations.
5. Ensure continuance of a viable continuity capability in the event that telework is not a
viable option (i.e. significant electrical and/or telecommunications infrastructure
degradation).

3

The Office of Personnel Management in the areas of pay and leave, agency closure, performance management,
official worksite, recruitment and retention, and accommodations for employees with disabilities; FEMA in the
areas of continuation of operations and long-term emergencies; the General Services Administration in the areas of
telework centers, travel, technology, equipment, and dependent care; and the National Archives and Records
Administration in the areas of efficient and effective records management and the preservation of records, including
Presidential and Vice-Presidential records.
4
Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002.

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FCD 1

ANNEX H.

CONTINUITY COMMUNICATIONS

The success of continuity programs is dependent on the availability of robust and effective
communications to provide federal intra- and interagency connectivity. An organization’s ability
to execute its essential functions at its primary operating facility and continuity facilities, as well
as the ability of the organization’s senior leadership to collaborate, develop policy and
recommendations, and act under all-hazards conditions, depends upon the availability of
effective communications systems. These systems support full connectivity, under all
conditions, among key government leadership, internal elements, other organizations, critical
customers, and the public. The Office of the Manager of the NCS is responsible for coordinating
the publication of a compendium of all communications capabilities required in NCS Directive
3-10, dated 2011.
In support of continuity communications, the Continuity Communications Architecture (CCA),
is an integrated, comprehensive, interoperable information architecture, developed utilizing the
OMB-sanctioned Federal Enterprise Architecture Framework. The CCA describes the data,
systems, applications, technical standards, and underlying infrastructure required to ensure that
Federal Executive Branch organizations can execute their PMEFs in support of NEFs and
continuity requirements under all circumstances.
REQUIREMENTS FOR CONTINUITY COMMUNICATIONS: All organizations must
consider and address telecommunication services availability needs at primary and continuity
facilities, in compliance with Office of Management and Budget Memorandum M-05-16 and
NCS Handbook 3-10-1. In accordance with these documents and NCS Directive 3-10, NCS
Directive 3-1, and Intelligence Community Standard Number 500-19:
1. Organizations that directly support NEFs must possess, operate, and maintain, or have
dedicated access to, communications capabilities at both their primary operating facility
and continuity facility locations, as well as mobile, in-transit communications capabilities
(secure cell and secure satellite phones for Category I, II, and III organizations) for their
senior leadership, commensurate with their category and communications capabilities, to
ensure the continuation of those organizations’ essential functions across the full
spectrum of hazards, threats, and emergencies, including catastrophic attacks or disasters.
Secure and non-secure communications requirements should be incorporated, as
applicable.
2. Organizations that do not directly support NEFs must possess, operate, and maintain, or
have dedicated access to, communications capabilities at both their primary operating
facility and continuity facility locations, as well as mobile in-transit communications
capabilities for their senior leadership capabilities, as required, to ensure the continuation
of those organizations’ essential functions. Secure and non-secure communications
requirements should be incorporated, as applicable.
3. Category I and select Category II organizations, as identified in NSPD-51/HSPD-20,
must coordinate with the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of Defense to
obtain and operate secure and integrated COG communications. Organizations must
document classified information in classified annexes of relevant continuity and
communications plans.

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4. Organizations who share a continuity facility with another organization must have a
signed agreement with that organization to ensure each has adequate access to
communications resources.
5. Organizations must possess interoperable and available communications capabilities in
sufficient quantity and mode/media that are commensurate with that organization’s
responsibilities during conditions of an emergency.
6. Organizations must possess communications capabilities that support the organization’s
senior leadership while they are in transit to continuity facilities.
7. Organizations must ensure that the communications capabilities required by this
Directive are maintained, are operational as soon as possible following a continuity
activation, and in all cases within 12 hours of continuity activation, and are readily
available for a period of sustained usage for up to 30 days or until normal operations can
be reestablished. Organizations must plan accordingly for essential functions that require
uninterrupted communications and IT support, if applicable.
8. The Office of the Manager of the NCS coordinates mandatory testing for NCS Directive
3-10. Organizations must report on continuity communications capability on a quarterly
basis to an official designated by the Chief of Staff to the President or the Manager of the
NCS.
9. Organizations with Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information systems that are
interoperable with the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System at their
continuity facility must ensure universal and remote access in compliance with
Intelligence Community Standard Number 500-19.
10. Organizations must issue all ERG members Government Emergency
Telecommunications Service (GETS) cards and pre-position GETS cards for emergency
use at all primary and continuity facilities in the quantity equal to 50% of the total
number of ERG personnel who are assigned to use the particular facility.
11. The government-issued cellular telephones for all ERG members must be Wireless
Priority Service (WPS)-capable and have WPS activated.
12. All primary and continuity facility circuits supporting continuity communications must
be included in the Telecommunications Service Priority program.
13. Organizations must annually review their continuity communications to ensure they are
fully capable of supporting essential functions and document the date of review and the
names of personnel conducting the review.
14. The Administrator of GSA, in collaboration with the Secretary of Homeland Security and
NCS, shall identify GSA programs and acquisition vehicles to allow for the consolidated
acquisition of interoperable communications equipment bridging all levels of
classification.
Organizations may request an exemption from one or more of these minimum communications
requirements by submitting a request by letter through the Office of the Manager of the NCS, for
decision by the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, in coordination with
the National Continuity Coordinator. The request must identify the specific requirement and
provide a detailed justification for the requested exception. A lack of funds is not considered a
valid justification for an exemption.

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FCD 1

ANNEX I.

ESSENTIAL RECORDS MANAGEMENT

The identification, protection, and ready availability of essential records, databases, and
hardcopy documents needed to support essential functions under the full spectrum of all-hazards
emergencies are critical elements of a successful continuity plan and program. Organizations
should strongly consider multiple redundant media for storing their essential records. 5
In this document, “essential records” refers to information systems technology, applications, and
infrastructure, electronic and hardcopy documents, references, and records needed to support the
continued performance of essential functions during a continuity activation. Organizations must
also protect information that is needed for the resumption of normal operations for reconstitution.
Each organization has different functional responsibilities and business needs. An organization
decides which records are essential to its operations and then assigns responsibility for those
records to the appropriate personnel.
Categories of essential records include the following:
1. Emergency Operating Records: These include records and databases essential to the
continued functioning or the reconstitution of an organization during and after a
continuity activation. Examples of these records are emergency plans and directives,
orders of succession, delegations of authority, staffing assignments, and related policy or
procedural records. These records provide an organization’s ERG with the guidance they
need to conduct operations during a continuity situation and to resume normal operations
at the conclusion of that situation.
2. Rights and Interests Records: These include records critical to carrying out an
organization’s essential legal and financial functions and vital to the protection of the
legal and financial rights of individuals who are directly affected by that organization’s
activities. These records include those with such value that their loss would significantly
impair the execution of essential organization functions, to the detriment of the legal or
financial rights and entitlements of the organization and the affected individual(s).
Examples of these records are accounts receivable files; contracting and acquisition files;
official personnel records; Social Security, payroll, retirement, and insurance records; and
property management and inventory records. Any Rights and Interests Records
considered critical for continued performance of essential functions should be included in
the Emergency Operating Records and maintained at the appropriate continuity facility.

5

Additional information on records management can be found in: 36 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 1236,
Electronic Records Management, November 2009; 44 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 3541, Federal Information
Security Act of 2002; National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800-34, Revision 1,
Contingency Planning Guide for Federal Information Systems, May 2010; National Institute of Standards and
Technology Special Publication 800-53, Revision 3, Recommended Security Controls for Federal Systems and
Organizations, August 2009.

I-1

FCD 1

REQUIREMENTS FOR ESSENTIAL RECORDS MANAGEMENT:
1. An official essential records program must:
a. Identify and protect those records that specify how an organization will operate in
an emergency or disaster;
b. Identify and protect those records necessary to the organization’s continuing
essential functions and resumption of normal operations;
c. Identify and protect those records needed to protect the legal and financial rights
of the Government and citizens; and
d. Include appropriate policies, authorities, procedures and the written designation of
an essential records manager.
2. Organizations must incorporate their essential records program into their overall
continuity plans.
3. Organizations must develop procedures to ensure that as soon as possible after activation
of continuity plans, but in all cases within 12 hours of an activation, ERG/DERG at the
continuity facilities have access to the appropriate media for accessing essential records.
4. Organizations must maintain a complete inventory of essential records, along with the
locations of and instructions on accessing those records. This inventory must be
maintained at a back-up/off-site location to ensure continuity if the primary operating
facility is damaged or unavailable. Organizations should consider maintaining these
inventories at a number of different sites to support continuity operations.
5. Organizations must conduct an essential records and database risk assessment to:
a. Identify the risks involved if essential records are retained in their current
locations and media, and the difficulty of reconstituting the records if destroyed;
b. Identify off-site storage locations and requirements;
c. Determine if alternative storage media is available; and
d. Determine requirements to duplicate records and provide alternate storage
locations to provide readily available essential records under all conditions.
6. Organizations must make appropriate protections for essential records, to include
dispersing those records to other organization locations or storing those records offsite.
When determining and selecting protection methods, it is important to take into account
the special protections needed by different kinds of storage media.
7. Organizations must develop and maintain an essential records plan packet and include a
copy of the packet at the continuity facilities. An essential records plan packet is an
electronic or hard copy compilation of key information, instructions, and supporting
documentation needed to access essential records in an emergency situation.
Organizations must annually review this packet and document the date of the review and
the names of personnel. The packet must include:
a. A hard or soft copy of ERG members with up-to-date telephone numbers;
b. An essential records inventory with the precise locations of essential records;
c. Necessary keys or access codes;
d. Continuity facility locations;
e. Access requirements and lists of sources of equipment necessary to access the
records (this may include hardware and software, microfilm readers, Internet
access, and/or dedicated telephone lines);
f. Lists of records of recovery experts and vendors; and
g. A copy of the organization’s continuity plans.

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FCD 1

8. At a minimum, organizations must annually review, rotate, or cycle essential records so
that the latest versions are available.
9. Organizations must annually review their essential records program to address new
security issues, identify problem areas, update information, and incorporate any
additional essential records generated by new organization programs or functions or by
organizational changes to existing programs or functions. Organizations must document
the date of the review and the names of personnel conducting the review.
10. Organizations must develop instructions on moving essential records (those that have not
been prepositioned) from the primary operating facility to the alternate site and include
these instructions in its continuity plan.

I-3

FCD 1

ANNEX J.

HUMAN RESOURCES

Staff is vital to the continuity capability of all organizations. Continuity Coordinators at each
executive branch organizations are senior accountable officials at the Assistant Secretary (or
equivalent) level responsible to work with their Organization Head to ensure effectiveness and
survivability of the organization’s continuity capability. Meanwhile, Continuity Managers
manage the day-to-day continuity programs.
During a continuity activation, organizations will activate ERG members to perform their
assigned duties. The ERG is comprised of individuals who are assigned responsibility to
relocate to an alternate site, as required, to perform organization essential functions or other tasks
related to continuity operations. Personnel stationed at the devolution site who are identified to
conduct essential functions during activation of devolution plans are classified as the DERG.
Organizations should consider rotating on-call requirements for ERG and DERG members,
where possible, or permitting primary and alternate ERG and DERG personnel to trade coverage
times to provide relief from remaining in a constant state of readiness. While the law does not
provide compensation for being in an “on-call” status, organizations should consider awards to
recognize and honor exceptional employee contributions to continuity. Organizations should
review position descriptions of any personnel who spend a substantial amount of time on a
regular and continuing basis on continuity activities in order to determine if such duties are
documented in the official position description of record and to ensure that the addition of such
duties does not impact the position’s title, series, and/or grade.
In addition to supporting the human resources needs of ERG and DERG members, organizations
are also responsible for supporting employees who are not designated as ERG personnel
(referred to as non-ERG members), but who may also be affected by a continuity activation.
Procedures and expectations for these employees should be addressed in continuity and
emergency plans, such as the OEP, which includes evacuation and shelter-in-place planning.
Further, staff accountability is a critical capability for all organizations. Organizations must have
a means and processes in place for employees to contact their organization in a timely and
routine manner.
The Importance of Telework for Emergency Planning
The Telework Enhancement Act of 2010 states that “each executive agency shall incorporate
telework into the continuity of operations plans for that agency.” Incorporating telework into
continuity plans means that these plans identify ways that an organization’s personnel perform
the duties and responsibilities necessary to continue the organization’s essential functions during
any type of threat or emergency from an approved worksite other than the location from which
the employee would otherwise work. Requirements for organizations as it relates to
incorporating telework into continuity plans are found in Annex G.
For more information on telework, refer to www.telework.gov. For more information on
“Requirements for Emergency Employees and Telework”, refer to the U.S. Office of Personnel
Management (OPM) Washington, DC, Area Dismissal and Closure Procedures at
www.opm.gov.

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FCD 1

Emergency Employees
In addition to identifying ERG and DERG personnel who are responsible for the continuation of
essential functions during a continuity activation, organizations are also responsible for
identifying other categories of employees. While furlough, dismissal, and closure situations do
not inherently lead to the activation of an organization’s continuity plan, organizations must plan
for such a scenario.
“Emergency employees” are critical to organization operations (including security and
infrastructure) in dismissal and closure situations and who will be expected to work.
Organization Heads are responsible for identifying “emergency employees” based on the
organization’s unique mission requirements and/or circumstances and can find additional
references and information at www.opm.gov6. Further, organizations may need to designate
those personnel who are allowed to work during a shutdown furlough or money-saving furlough
(referred to as exempt employees). If a continuity activation occurs during a period of time
during which employees are affected by a shutdown furlough or money-saving furlough, each
organization will have to determine whether each individual employee may or may not
participate in the continuity operations under applicable law and based on budget conditions,
funding sources, and mission priorities. Employees participating in continuity events are not
automatically excepted or exempt from a furlough.
REQUIREMENTS FOR HUMAN RESOURCES:
1. Organizations must develop and implement processes to identify, document, and prepare
ERG members who are capable of relocating to alternate sites or teleworking and DERG
members at the devolution site to support the continuation of the performance of essential
functions.
a. Organizations must clearly define the expectations, roles and responsibilities of
ERG and DERG members during a continuity activation.
b. Organizations must establish and maintain appropriate point-of-contact rosters of
trained ERG and DERG members who have the ability to perform essential
functions. Organizations must updated these rosters periodically and include, at a
minimum, names, home, work, and cell telephone numbers.
c. Organizations must ensure that ERG and DERG members are officially informed
of and accept their roles and responsibilities by providing documentation these
individuals.
d. Organizations must identify replacement personnel and augmentees, as necessary.
e. If bargaining unit employees are included as ERG or DERG members,
organizations must ensure that all applicable collective bargaining obligations are
satisfied.
2. Organizations must provide guidance to ERG members on individual preparedness
measures they should take to ensure response to a continuity activation.

6

OPM Guide to Telework in the Federal Government; OPM Washington, DC, Area Dismissal and Closure
Procedures; OPM Handbook on Pay and Leave Benefits for Federal Employees Affected by Severe Weather
Conditions or Other Emergency Situations; OPM Human Resources Flexibilities and Authorities in the Federal
Government.

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FCD 1

3. Organizations must recommend the content and maintenance of drive-away kits for ERG
members.
4. Organizations must provide guidance to all staff in preparing, planning and staying
informed during an emergency, including developing Family Emergency Plans.
5. Organizations must implement a process to communicate the organization’s operating
status to all staff.
6. Organizations must implement a process to contact and account for all staff, including
contractors, in the event of an emergency. All staff, including contractors, must know
their responsibilities to report their accountability.
7. Organizations must establish procedures and provide the ability to communicate with and
coordinate activities with all personnel; continuity facilities and support teams;
organizations with which the affected organization interacts; customers; and stakeholders
before, during, and after a continuity event, including alert and notification.
8. Organizations must work with their labor unions in developing and bargaining over such
procedures where bargaining unit employees are impacted.
9. Organizations must communicate how, and the extent to which, employees are expected
to remain in contact with their organizations during any closure situation.
10. Organizations must establish and maintain procedures to provide guidance to non-ERG
personnel.
11. Organizations must facilitate dialogue among the Director of Human Resources,
Telework Managing Officer, and Continuity Manager when developing their continuity
plans.
12. Organizations must implement a process to communicate their human resources guidance
for emergencies, such as pay, leave, staffing, and other human resources flexibilities, to
all staff.
13. Within their continuity plans and procedures, organizations must include or reference
provisions and procedures for assisting all staff, especially those who are disaster
survivors, with special human resources concerns following a catastrophic disaster.
14. An organization’s continuity program, plans, and procedures must incorporate or
reference existing organization-specific guidance and policy for human resource
management, such as guidance on pay, leave, work scheduling, benefits, telework, hiring,
authorities, and flexibilities.

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FCD 1

ANNEX K.

TEST, TRAINING, AND EXERCISE PROGRAM

An effective TT&E program is necessary to assist organizations to prepare and validate their
organization’s capabilities and program and to the Federal Executive Branch’s ability to perform
essential functions during any emergency.
The testing, training, and exercising of continuity capabilities is essential to demonstrating,
assessing, and improving an organization’s ability to execute its continuity program, plans, and
procedures. The testing of an organization’s ability to demonstrate continuity capabilities in the
performance of essential functions enables leadership to establish clear goals for the
organization. This periodic testing also ensures that resources and procedures are kept in a
constant state of readiness. Training familiarizes continuity personnel with their roles and
responsibilities in support of the performance of an organization’s essential functions during a
continuity event. Exercises prepare ERG and DERG members to respond to all emergencies and
disasters and ensure performance of the organization’s essential functions. These include
interdependencies both internal and external to the organization.
An organization’s continuity exercise program focuses primarily on evaluating capabilities or an
element of a capability, such as a plan or policy, in a simulated situation. The Homeland
Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) is a capabilities- and performance-based
exercise plan that provides a standardized policy, methodology, and language for designing,
developing, conducting, and evaluating all exercises. The HSEEP is a pillar of the National
Exercise Program framework. Organizations should refer to the HSEEP for additional exercise
and evaluation guidance. Annual requirements are defined as occurring during the federal fiscal
year, not every 365 days.
REQUIREMENTS FOR TT&E:
1. Organizations must develop and maintain a continuity TT&E program for conducting and
documenting TT&E activities that identifies the components, processes, and requirements
for the training and preparedness of personnel needed to support the continuation of the
performance of essential functions.
2. As part of its TT&E program, the organization must document all conducted TT&E
events, including documenting the date of the event, those participating in the event, and
the results of the event.
3. The organization TT&E program must utilize an all-hazards approach to demonstrate the
viability of their continuity plans and programs.
4. Continuity personnel must demonstrate their understanding of and ability to perform their
assigned roles and responsibilities through participation in their organization’s continuity
TT&E program.
Testing
An organization’s testing program must include and document:
5. Annual testing of alert, notification, and activation procedures for continuity and
devolution personnel and quarterly testing of such procedures for personnel at the
organization’s HQ.

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FCD 1

6. Annual testing of recovery strategies for essential records (both classified and
unclassified), critical information systems (both classified and unclassified), services, and
data.
7. Annual testing of the capabilities for protecting essential records and information systems
(both classified and unclassified) and for providing access to them from the continuity
facilities.
8. Annual testing of primary and backup infrastructure systems and services, such as power,
water, and fuel, at continuity facilities.
9. Annual testing and exercising of required physical security capabilities at continuity
facilities.
10. Quarterly testing of the internal and external interoperability and viability of
communications equipment and systems.
11. Annual testing of the capabilities required to perform an organization’s essential
functions, as identified in the BPA.
12. Annual testing of telework capabilities, to include IT infrastructure, required to support
telework options during a continuity event.
13. Annual testing of internal and external interdependencies identified in the organization’s
continuity plan, with respect to performance of an organization’s and other organizations’
essential functions.
Training
An organization’s training program must include and document:
14. Annual continuity awareness briefings or other means of orientation for the entire
workforce.
15. Annual training on the roles and responsibilities for personnel, including host or
contractor personnel, who are assigned to activate, support, and sustain continuity and
devolution operations.
a. Annual briefings for ERG and DERG members on organization continuity and
devolution plans that involve using, or relocating to, continuity facilities, existing
facilities, or other work arrangements, such as telework.
b. Annual training for ERG and DERG members on all reconstitution plans and
procedures to resume normal organization operations at the original primary
operating facility or replacement primary operating facility.
c. Annual training for ERG and DERG members on the activation of continuity
plans, including unannounced relocation to alternate sites, to include telework
options, and devolution of operations to devolution sites.
d. Annual training for ERG and DERG members on the capabilities of
communications and IT systems to be used during a continuity or devolution
event.
e. Annual training for ERG and DERG members regarding identification,
protection, and ready availability of electronic and hardcopy documents,
references, records, information systems, and data management software and
equipment (including classified and other sensitive data) needed to support
essential functions during a continuity or devolution activation.
f. Annual training for ERG and DERG members on an organization’s devolution
option for continuity, to address how each organization will identify and conduct

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FCD 1

its essential functions during an increased threat situation or in the aftermath of a
catastrophic emergency.
16. Annual training for the organization’s leadership on that organization’s essential
functions, including training on their continuity responsibilities.
17. Annual training for all staff who are expected to telework during a continuity activation
regarding conducting essential functions from a telework site. Training must include
accessing and using records, communications, and systems.
18. Annual training for all organization personnel designated within the orders of succession
for Organization Head or other key positions who assume the authority and responsibility
of the organization’s leadership if that leadership is incapacitated or becomes otherwise
unavailable during a continuity activation.
19. Annual training for those officials listed within the delegations of authority on all predelegated authorities for making policy determinations and other decisions, at the
headquarters, regional, field, and other organizational levels, as appropriate.
20. Periodic briefings to managers about the essential records program and its relationship to
their essential records and business needs.
Exercises
An organization’s exercise program must include and document:
21. Compliance with HSEEP, as appropriate.
22. An annual opportunity for ERG members to demonstrate their familiarity with continuity
plans and procedures and to demonstrate the organization’s capability to continue its
essential functions.
a. An annual exercise that incorporates the deliberate and preplanned movement of
ERG members to an alternate site.
b. An annual opportunity to demonstrate intra- and interagency communications
capabilities.
c. An annual opportunity to demonstrate that backup data and records required to
support essential functions at alternate sites are sufficient, complete, and current.
d. An annual opportunity to demonstrate familiarity with and capability to continue
essential functions from telework sites, if used as a continuity strategy.
23. A biennial exercise for ERG members to demonstrate their familiarity with the
reconstitution procedures to transition from a continuity environment to normal activities
when appropriate.
24. A biennial exercise for DERG members to demonstrate their familiarity with devolution
procedures.
25. All organizations within the National Capital Region must annually participate in the
Eagle Horizon continuity exercise; provide FEMA-required planning and exercise
reports; provide evaluators, data collectors, facilitators, controllers, and other exercise
required personnel, as requested; develop internal exercise injects, as required; develop
an internal Eagle Horizon after-action report (AAR); and incorporate findings into a
CAP.
26. A comprehensive debriefing or hotwash after each exercise, which allows participants to
identify systemic weakness in plans and procedures and to recommend revisions to the
organization’s continuity plan.

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FCD 1

27. A cycle of events that incorporates evaluations, AARs, and lessons learned into the
development and implementation of a CAP.
28. A CAP to assist in documenting, prioritizing, and resourcing continuity issues across all
continuity elements identified during TT&E, assessments, and emergency operations.
The CAP must:
a. Identify continuity deficiencies and other areas requiring improvement.
b. Provide responsibilities and a timeline for corrective action.

K-4

FCD 1

ANNEX L.

DEVOLUTION OF CONTROL AND DIRECTION

Devolution planning supports overall continuity planning and addresses catastrophes and other
all-hazards emergencies that render an organization’s leadership and ERG members unavailable
or incapable of performing its essential functions from either the organization’s primary
operating facility or alternate sites. The devolution option may be used when the organization’s
primary operating facility, alternate site, and/or staff are not available. A continuity plan’s
devolution option addresses how an organization will identify and transfer responsibility for the
performance of essential functions to personnel at a location that offers a safe and secure
environment in which essential functions can continue.
The ultimate goal of both continuity and devolution planning is to continue the organization’s
essential functions. In that respect, the devolution counterpart must have the capability to
perform an organization’s essential functions within 12 hours for PMEFs and within the
acceptable recovery time determined for other essential functions. Therefore, when choosing a
devolution site, organizations must consider the capabilities of the site to ensure it has the
communications, systems, equipment and resources pre-positioned or available within the
accepted timeframe to continue essential functions. Requirements for devolution sites are
primarily found in Annex G of this FCD.
Personnel stationed at the devolution site who are identified to conduct essential functions are
referred to as the DERG. The organization must prepare these individuals to conduct the
organization’s essential functions. Organizations can support this process through the use of
training and job aids, including standard operating procedures, desk guides, and handbooks.
Requirements for DERG personnel are primarily found in Annex J and Annex K of this FCD.
Because of the requirements upon the transferring organization, the devolution site, and the
DERG, the transferring organization and its chosen devolution counterpart must work closely
together to fulfill devolution requirements. While it is the responsibility of the originating
organization to ensure its essential functions are continued under all circumstances, including
ensuring the devolution site is capable and the DERG is trained, the devolution site and DERG
play a key role in ensuring requirements are met, as they are ultimately responsible for
performing essential functions when the devolution option is activated.
Organizations may activate their devolution option as a continuity measure or as a temporary
transfer of control as ERG members relocate to the alternate site. Additionally, organizations
may choose to partially devolve, by transferring responsibilities for select essential functions, or
devolve to multiple devolution sites, by transferring responsibilities for different essential
functions to various sites.
REQUIREMENTS FOR DEVOLUTION OF CONTROL AND DIRECTION:
1. Organizations must develop a devolution option for continuity to address how it will
identify and conduct its essential functions when the primary operating facility, alternate
site, and/or ERG members are not available.

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FCD 1

2. Organizations must address the following elements of a viable continuity capability in
their devolution option: program plans and procedures, risk management, budgeting and
acquisitions, essential functions, orders of succession and delegations of authority
specific to the devolution site, continuity communications, essential records management,
human resources, TT&E, and reconstitution.
3. For each identified essential function, organizations must determine the necessary
resources to facilitate those functions’ immediate and seamless transfer to the devolution
site.
4. Organizations must include a roster that identifies fully trained DERG members stationed
at the designated devolution site who have the authority to perform essential functions
when the devolution option of the continuity plan is activated.
5. Organizations must identify what would likely activate or “trigger” the devolution option.
6. Organizations must specify how and when direction and control of organization
operations will be transferred to and from the devolution site.
7. Organizations must list the necessary resources, such as equipment and materials, to
facilitate the performance of essential functions at the devolution site.
8. Organizations must establish and maintain reliable processes and procedures for
acquiring the resources necessary to continue essential functions and to sustain those
operations for extended periods.
9. Organizations must establish and maintain procedures in order to transition
responsibilities to personnel at the primary operating facilities upon termination of
devolution.

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ANNEX M.

RECONSTITUTION OPERATIONS

Reconstitution requirements address the need for organizations to identify, develop, and
coordinate a plan to return to normal operations once leadership determines that the actual
emergency, or the threat of an emergency, is over. Just as an organization’s capability to
perform its essential functions rests upon the four pillars of continuity – leadership, staff,
communications, and facilities – an organization’s capability to reconstitute also rests on these
pillars. Communication enables an organization to inform all personnel that the necessity for
continuity operations no longer exists and to instruct personnel on how to resume normal
operations. The non-ERG staff augments the ERG staff to begin the process of resuming nonessential functions. Leadership determines priorities and supervises the orderly return to normal
operations. Organizations assess the status of affected facilities and transition back into the
primary operating facility or a new facility.
As an element of continuity, reconstitution must be considered an essential function that ensures
the continued support of other essential functions and the restoration of full normal operations.
Since the process of reconstitution begins at the start of a continuity event, organizations should
consider identifying a Reconstitution Team with leadership, staff, and resources dedicated and
separate from existing essential function support to resume normal operations as quickly as
possible. As detailed in NSPD-51/HSPD-20, DHS/FEMA serves as the President’s lead agent
for coordinating overall continuity operations and activities. In addition, GSA, OPM, and
NARA also play key roles in reconstitution operations.
REQUIREMENTS FOR RECONSTITUTION OPERATIONS:
1. Organizations must develop a plan and provide the ability to recover from the effects of
an emergency and for transitioning back to efficient normal operational status from
continuity operations, once a threat or disruption has passed. This plan must:
a. Determine how the organization will assess the status of affected organization
personnel, assets, and facilities;
b. Include redeployment plans for phasing down continuity facility operations and
supervising the return of operations, personnel, records, and equipment to the
primary or other operating facility in a priority-based approach, when appropriate;
c. Outline the necessary procedures for conducting a smooth transition from the
continuity facility to either the normal primary operating facility, another
temporary facility, or a new permanent facility;
d. Detail how the organization will inform all personnel that the actual emergency,
or the threat of an emergency, and the necessity for continuity operations no
longer exists, and instruct personnel on how to resume normal operations.
e. Detail how the organization will verify operational capability and availability,
including systems, communications, essential records, infrastructure, and other
required resources, and that the organization is fully capable of accomplishing all
essential functions and operations at the new or restored facility.
f. Identify how the organization will determine which (if any) records were affected
by the incident and ensure an effective transition or recovery of essential records
and databases and other records that had not been designated as essential records.

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2. Organizations must coordinate and pre-plan options for organization reconstitution
regardless of the level of disruption that originally prompted the organization to
implement its continuity plans.
3. Organizations must designate a Reconstitution Manager and a Devolution Reconstitution
Manager (if the primary reconstitution manager is located at the primary operating
facility) to oversee all phases of the reconstitution process.
4. In order to assist in the scoping of U.S. Government reconstitution plans and active
programs, organizations are required to internally identify and document all perceived
reconstitution needs via completion and submission of SF-2050, “Reconstitution
Questionnaire.” Organizations can centrally download and submit this form via
classified systems at https://gsapergamum.gold.ic.gov. Organizations without access to
classified systems can access this form via unclassified means at gsa.gov/forms and
submit via classified fax at 202-501-1068. Organizations are required to annually review
and re-submit the SF-2050. Organizations may contact GSA's Office of Emergency
Response and Recovery at [email protected] and/or 202-501-0012 for further instructions.

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ANNEX N. CONTINUITY PLAN OPERATIONAL
PHASES AND IMPLEMENTATION
A continuity plan is implemented to ensure the continuation or rapid resumption of
essential functions during a continuity event. The continuity implementation process
includes the following four phases: readiness and preparedness, activation, continuity
operations, and reconstitution.
Readiness and Preparedness
Readiness is the ability of an organization to respond to a continuity activation. Although
readiness is a function of planning and training, it is ultimately the responsibility of an
organization’s leadership to ensure that an organization can perform its essential
functions before, during, and after all-hazards emergencies or disasters. This phase
includes all organization continuity readiness and preparedness activities including the
development, review, and revision of plans, TT&E, and risk management.
Non-HQ organizations may consider creating a “continuity readiness posture” similar to
the executive branch’s COGCON system for federal HQ entities, which is presented in
Figure 5 on the next page.

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EXECUTIVE BRANCH CONTINUITY OF GOVERNMENT
READINESS CONDITIONS (COGCON) MATRIX

Figure 5: COGCON Matrix
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Activation (0-12 Hours)
This phase should include the activation of plans, procedures, and schedules for the
continuation of essential functions, as well as for the personnel, essential records and
databases, and equipment involved with these functions, with minimal disruption.
The activation and implementation of a continuity plan and its associated procedures may
require the use of alternate or devolution sites, depending upon the emergency and its
effect on normal operations. Examples of scenarios that may require activation of
continuity plans and procedures include the following:
1. An organization receives or the region in which the organization is located
receives notification of a credible threat, which leads the organization to enhance
its readiness posture and prepare to take actions as necessary;
2. An organization experiences an emergency or a disruption that requires the
relocation of ERG members to an alternate site;
3. An organization’s ERG and/or primary operating facility and alternate site are
unavailable or inaccessible, necessitating a shift of operations to a devolution site;
and
4. Many, if not all, organizations must evacuate the immediate or larger
geographically affected area.
The activation phase includes the following activities:
1. Occurrence of an event or the threat of an event;
2. Reviewing, analyzing, and deciding to activate continuity and/or devolution
plans;
3. Alerting and notifying the ERG and/or DERG;
4. Relocating, if necessary, to alternate sites;
5. Devolving, if necessary, to devolution sites;
6. Accounting for ERG and/or DERG members; and
7. Identifying available leadership.
Continuity Operations
This phase includes the following activities to continue essential functions:
1. Accounting for all organization personnel;
2. Reporting on operational capabilities to the FEMA Operations Center (FOC);
3. Performing essential functions;
4. Establishing communications with supporting and supported organizations,
customers, and stakeholders; and
5. Preparing for the reconstitution of the organization.
Reconstitution
Leadership communicates instructions for resumption of normal operations to all staff,
including supervising an orderly return to the normal operating facility, moving to
another temporary facility, or to a new permanent facility. The process of reconstitution
will generally start immediately after an event concludes.

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Some of the activities involved with reconstitution include:
1. Assessing the status of affected facilities;
2. Determining how much time is needed to repair the affected facility and/or to
acquire a new facility;
3. Supervising facility repairs;
4. Notifying decision-makers of the status of repairs, including estimates of when
the repairs will be completed; and
5. Implementing a priority-based phased approach to reconstitution.
REQUIREMENTS FOR OPERATIONAL PHASES AND IMPLEMENTATION:
At a minimum, organizations must do the following when implementing their continuity
plans and procedures:
1. Follow procedures for the readiness and preparedness phase within its continuity
plan and procedures.
2. Follow procedures for plan implementation, including using its decision matrix
for continuity plan activation.
3. Alert and notify the following of continuity plan activation:
a. All staff (ERG, non-ERG, and DERG, if applicable);
b. Continuity facilities and on-site support teams;
c. Interdependent agencies; and
d. Other points-of-contact, stakeholders, vendors, and customers.
4. Report continuity activation status.
a. Non-HQ organizations must notify their HQ upon activation of continuity
plans.
b. Upon activation of continuity plans at any level or location, organizations
HQ points-of-contact (POCs) must notify FEMA’s Continuity Readiness
Cell (CRC) and submit a Continuity Status Reporting Form (or devolution
as appropriate) using the form and procedures provided by FEMA NCP at
the time of execution or activation of call-down procedures. The CRC
will collate this information into the RRS.
5. Follow procedures for the relocation of ERG members and essential records to the
alternate sites or activation of devolution sites.
6. Utilize drive-away kits, as applicable.
7. Conduct in-processing, reception, and accountability of ERG members at the
alternate site or DERG members at the devolution site.
8. Transition responsibilities from the primary operating facility to deployed ERG
members at the alternate site or DERG members at the devolution site.
9. Account for all staff.
10. Communicate instructions and operating status with all personnel before, during,
and after the continuity event.
11. Utilize human resources guidance for emergencies, as needed, to assist the
organization in continuing essential functions.
12. Provide guidance to non-ERG personnel.
13. Identify and alert replacement personnel and augmentees, as necessary.
14. Perform PMEFs within 12 hours after an event and all other essential functions
within the recovery time objective identified, under all threat conditions, from its

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continuity facilities (alternate sites or devolution sites), including the ability to
maintain this capability until normal business activities can be resumed. This
capability must include:
a. Sufficient quantity and mode/media of interoperable and available
redundant and survivable communication capabilities to enable
performance of essential functions;
b. Capabilities to access and use essential records necessary to facilitate the
performance of essential functions, to include having access to the
appropriate media for accessing essential records;
c. Sufficient levels of physical security to protect against all threats identified
in the continuity facility’s risk assessment; and
d. Sufficient levels of information security to protect against all threats
identified in the continuity facility’s risk assessment.
15. Procure necessary equipment and supplies needed to support and continue
essential functions and sustain operations that are not already in place.
16. Comply with any additional continuity reporting requirements from the FOC.
17. Identify all available organization leadership at the continuity facilities and
conduct the orderly and pre-defined transition of leadership, for the position of
Organization Head, as well as for key supporting positions, in accordance with
orders of succession and delegations of authority, as applicable.
18. Coordinate with GSA for support in acquiring, equipping and sustaining an
appropriate reconstitution site based on the following:
a. Total office area square footage required to accommodate staff;
b. Special needs space (i.e. labs or classified facilities);
c. Equipment and IT needs; and
d. Configuration of space (i.e. work areas, conference rooms, etc.).
19. Verify that all systems, communications, and other required capabilities are
available and operational at the new or restored primary operating facility and that
the organization is fully capable of performing all essential functions and
operations at the new or restored primary operating facility.
20. Assess the status of affected facilities, determine how much time is needed to
repair the affected facility and/or acquire a new facility, supervise facility repairs,
and notify decision-makers of the status of repairs, including estimates of when
the repairs will be completed.
21. Inform all personnel that the actual emergency, or the threat of an emergency, and
the necessity for continuity operations no longer exists, and instruct personnel on
how to resume normal operations.
22. Phase down continuity facility operations and supervise the return of operations,
personnel, records, and equipment to the primary or other operating facility in a
priority-based approach, when appropriate.
23. Conduct a smooth transition from the continuity facility to either the normal
operating facility or a move to another temporary facility or a new permanent
primary operating facility.
24. Determine which (if any) records were affected by the incident and ensure an
effective transition or recovery of essential records and databases and other
records that had not been designated as essential records.

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25. If applicable, report reconstitution status to the National Security Staff through
FEMA NCP via the RRS.
a. Non-HQ organizations must notify their organization HQ upon
reconstitution.
b. Upon reconstitution at any level or location, organization HQ POCs must
notify FEMA NCP via the reconstitution status report form, using the
procedures provided by FEMA NCP at the time of execution.
c. FEMA will coordinate with interagency partners to facilitate executive
branch reconstitution.

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ANNEX O.
AAR
BIA
BPA
CAP
CCA
CI
COG
COGCON
COOP
CRC
CWG
DHS
DERG
ECG
ERG
FCD
FEMA
FOC
GETS
GSA
HQ
HSEEP
HSPD
IT
MEF
MOA/MOU
MYSPMP
NCC
NCP
NCPIP
NCS
NEF
NSPD
OEP
OMB
OPM
PMEF
POC
RRS
SF
TT&E
WPS

LIST OF ACRONYMS

After-Action Report
Business Impact Analysis
Business Process Analysis
Corrective Action Program
Continuity Communications Architecture
Critical Infrastructure
Continuity of Government
Continuity of Government Readiness Conditions
Continuity of Operations
Continuity Readiness Cell
Continuity Working Group
Department of Homeland Security
Devolution Emergency Relocation Group
Enduring Constitutional Government
Emergency Relocation Group
Federal Continuity Directive
Federal Emergency Management Agency
FEMA Operations Center
Government Emergency Telecommunications Service
General Services Administration
Headquarters
Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program
Homeland Security Presidential Directive
Information Technology
Mission Essential Function
Memorandum of Agreement/Memorandum of Understanding
Multi-Year Strategy and Program Management Plan
National Continuity Coordinator
National Continuity Programs
National Continuity Policy Implementation Plan
National Communications System
National Essential Function
National Security Presidential Directive
Occupant Emergency Plan
Office of Management and Budget
Office of Personnel Management
Primary Mission Essential Function
Point-of-Contact
Readiness Reporting System
Standard Form
Test, Training, and Exercise
Wireless Priority Service

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ANNEX P.

GLOSSARY

Activation – The implementation of a continuity plan, whether in whole or in part.
Agencies – Federal departments and agencies means those executive departments
enumerated in 5 U.S.C. § 101, together with the DHS, independent establishments as
defined by 5 U.S.C. § 104(1), Government corporations as defined by 5 U.S.C. § 103(1),
and the United States Postal Service. The departments, agencies, commissions, bureaus,
boards, and independent organizations are referred to in this document as
“organizations.”
All-Hazards – The spectrum of all types of hazards including accidents, technological
events, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, warfare, and chemical, biological including
pandemic influenza, radiological, nuclear, or explosive events.
Alternate Sites – “Alternate sites” are locations, other than the primary facility, used to
carry out essential functions by relocating ERG members following activation of the
continuity plan. These sites refer to not only other facilities and locations, but also work
arrangements such as telework and mobile work concepts.
Business Impact Analysis (BIA) – A method of identifying the effects of failing to
perform a function or requirement.
Business Process Analysis (BPA) – A method of examining, identifying, and mapping
the functional processes, workflows, activities, personnel expertise, systems, data,
interdependencies, and facilities inherent in the execution of a function or requirement.
Catastrophic Emergency – Any incident, regardless of location, that results in
extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting
population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government functions.
Category – This term refers to the four categories of organizations listed in Annex A to
NSPD-51/HSPD-20.
Cold Site – A facility that is not manned on a day-to-day basis by personnel from
primary operating facility. Organizations may be required to pre-install
telecommunication equipment and IT infrastructure upon selection/purchase and deploy
designated IT essential personnel to the facility to activate equipment/systems before it
can be used.
Communications – Voice, video, and data capabilities that enable the leadership and
staff to conduct the mission essential functions of the organization. Robust
communications help ensure that the leadership receives coordinated, integrated policy
and operational advice and recommendations and will provide the ability for
governments and the private sector to communicate internally and with other entities
(including with other federal organizations, tribal, state, territorial, and local
governments, and the private sector) as necessary to perform their essential functions.

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Continuity – An uninterrupted ability to provide services and support, while maintaining
organizational viability, before, during, and after an event.
Continuity Advisory Group – A sub-Continuity Policy Coordination Committee group
focused on interagency implementation of continuity programs. The Group is comprised
of Continuity Coordinators, or their designees, from Category I, II, III, and IV (identified
in NSPD-51/HSPD-20) organizations. Key State and local government representatives
from the National Capital Region, and representatives from the legislative and judicial
branches are invited, as appropriate.
Continuity Capability – The ability of an organization to continue to perform its
essential functions, using COOP and COG programs and continuity requirements that
have been integrated into the organization’s daily operations, with the primary goal of
ensuring the preservation of our form of Government under the Constitution and the
continuing performance of NEFs under all conditions. Building upon a foundation of
continuity planning and continuity program management, the pillars of a continuity
capability are leadership, staff, communications, and facilities.
Continuity Communications Architecture (CCA) – An integrated, comprehensive,
interoperable information architecture, developed utilizing the OMB-sanctioned Federal
Enterprise Architecture Framework, that describes the data, systems, applications,
technical standards, and underlying infrastructure required to ensure that Federal
Executive Branch organizations can execute their PMEFs and MEFs in support of NEFs
and continuity requirements under all circumstances.
Continuity Coordinators – Senior accountable executive branch official at the assistant
secretary or equivalent level who represents their department or agency on the Continuity
Advisory Group, ensures continuity capabilities in the organization, and provides
recommendations for continuity policy. Continuity Coordinators are supported primarily
by the Continuity Manager and by other continuity planners or coordinators, at their
subordinate levels throughout the organization.
Continuity Facilities – The term “continuity facilities” is comprehensive, referring to
both continuity and devolution sites where essential functions are continued or resumed
during a continuity event. “Alternate sites” are locations, other than the primary facility,
used to carry out essential functions by relocating ERG members following activation of
the continuity plan. “Devolution sites” are locations used to carry out essential functions
by devolving the essential functions to a geographically separated facility and staff (the
DERG) following activation of the devolution plan. These sites refer to not only other
facilities and locations, but also work arrangements such as telework and mobile work
concepts.
Continuity of Government (COG) – A coordinated effort within each branch of
Government (e.g., the Federal Government’s Executive Branch) to ensure that NEFs
continue to be performed during a catastrophic emergency.

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FCD 1

Continuity of Government Readiness Conditions (COGCON) – For the Federal
Executive Branch, the COGCON system establishes readiness levels in order to provide a
flexible and coordinated response to escalating threat levels or actual emergencies,
focusing on possible threats to the National Capital Region. The COGCON system
establishes, measures, and reports the readiness of executive branch continuity programs,
which is independent of other Federal Government readiness systems.
Continuity of Operations (COOP) – An effort within individual organizations to ensure
they can continue to perform their essential functions during a wide range of
emergencies, including localized acts of nature, accidents, and technological or attackrelated emergencies.
Continuity Manager – The senior continuity planner who manages day-to-day
continuity programs, represents their department or agency on the Continuity Advisory
Group and working groups, as appropriate, and reports to the Continuity Coordinator on
all continuity program activities.
Continuity Personnel – Those personnel, both senior and core, who provide the
leadership advice, recommendations, and functional support necessary to continue
essential operations. Continuity personnel are referred to as ERG members.
Continuity Plan – A plan that details how an individual organization will ensure it can
continue to perform its essential functions during a wide range of emergencies.
Continuity Policy Coordination Committee – A committee established to
comprehensively address national level continuity program coordination, integration,
oversight, and management. This forum institutionalizes national security policy
development, implementation, and oversight for continuity programs. The Committee
serves in a continuity oversight and management role with membership at the assistant
secretary level from the following organizations: the Office of the Vice President; the
Homeland and National Security Councils; the White House Military Office; the Office
of Management and Budget; the Office of Science and Technology Policy; the
Departments of State, Treasury, Defense, Justice, and Homeland Security; the Director of
National Intelligence; the Central Intelligence Agency; the Federal Bureau of
Investigation; the United States Secret Service; FEMA; and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Other observers may be invited to attend.
Continuity Program Management Cycle – An ongoing, cyclical model of planning,
training, evaluating, and implementing corrective actions for continuity capabilities.
Corrective Action Program (CAP) – An organized method to document and track
improvement actions for a program.

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Critical Infrastructure (CI) – Critical infrastructure means the systems and assets,
whether physical or virtual, so vital to the United States that the incapacity or destruction
of such systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on security, national
economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination of those matters.
Delegation of Authority – Identification, by position, of the authorities for making
policy determinations and decisions at HQ, regional and field levels, and all other
organizational locations. Generally, pre-determined delegations of authority will take
effect when normal channels of direction have been disrupted and will lapse when these
channels have been reestablished.
Devolution – Devolution requires the transition of roles and responsibilities for
performance of essential functions through pre-authorized delegations of authority and
responsibility. The authorities are delegated from an organization’s primary operating
staff to other employees internal or external to the organization in order to sustain
essential functions for an extended period. Devolution is a continuity option instead of or
in conjunction with relocation in order to ensure the continued performance of essential
functions.
Devolution Emergency Relocation Group (DERG) – Personnel stationed at the
devolution site who are identified to conduct essential functions.
Devolution Site – “Devolution sites” are locations used to carry out essential functions
by devolving the essential functions to a geographically separated facility and staff (the
DERG) following activation of the devolution plan. These sites refer to not only other
facilities, but also work arrangements such as telework and mobile work concepts.
Drive-Away Kit – A kit prepared by, and for, an individual who expects to deploy to an
alternate site during an emergency. The kit contains items needed to minimally satisfy an
individual’s personal and professional needs during deployment, such as clothing,
medications, a laptop, and other necessities.
Emergency Operating Records – Records that support the execution of an
organization’s essential functions.
Emergency Plan – Also referred to as Occupant Emergency Plan or building closure
plan. Common scenarios that would lead to the activation of these plans would be
inclement weather, localized power outages, localized telecommunications outages, etc.
These types of events are generally short term in nature, do not impact employees ability
to telework, and may not require an organization to activate its continuity plan.
Emergency Relocation Group (ERG) – Staff assigned responsibility to continue
essential functions from an alternate site in the event that their primary operating
facilities are threatened or have been incapacitated by an incident.

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Enduring Constitutional Government (ECG) – A cooperative effort among the
executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the Federal Government, coordinated by
the President, as a matter of comity with respect to the legislative and judicial branches
and with proper respect for the constitutional separation of powers among the branches.
The ECG effort is intended to preserve the constitutional framework under which the
Nation is governed and the capability of all three branches of Government, during a
catastrophic emergency, to execute their constitutional responsibilities and to provide for
orderly successions, appropriate transitions of leadership, interoperability, and support of
NEFs.
Essential Functions – Essential functions are a subset of government functions that are
determined to be critical activities. These essential functions are then used to identify
supporting tasks and resources that must be included in the organization’s continuity
planning process. In this FCD, the term “essential functions” refers to those functions an
organization must continue in a continuity situation, whether the functions are MEFs,
PMEFs, or Essential Supporting Activities.
Essential Records – Information systems and applications, electronic and hardcopy
documents, references, and records needed to support essential functions during a
continuity event. The two basic categories of essential records are emergency operating
records and rights and interest records. Emergency operating records are essential to the
continued functioning or reconstitution of an organization. Rights and interest records
are critical to carrying out an organization’s essential legal and financial functions and
vital to the protection of the legal and financial rights of individuals who are directly
affected by that organization’s activities. The term “vital records” refers to a specific
sub-set of essential records relating to birth, death, and marriage documents.
Essential Records Plan Packet – An essential records plan packet is an electronic or
hard copy compilation of key information, instructions and supporting documentation
needed to access essential records in an emergency situation.
Essential Supporting Activities – Critical functions that an organization must continue
during a continuity activation, but that do not meet the threshold for MEFs or PMEFs.
Federal Continuity Directive (FCD) – A document developed and promulgated by
DHS, in coordination with the Continuity Advisory Group and in consultation with the
Continuity Policy Coordination Committee, which directs executive branch organizations
to carry out identified continuity planning requirements and assessment criteria.
Federal Executive Boards – A forum, established by Presidential Directive in 1961, for
communication and collaboration among federal organizations outside of Washington,
DC. With approximately 88 percent of all federal employees working outside of the
National Capital Region, the national network of 28 Federal Executive Boards, located in
areas of significant federal populations, serves as a cornerstone for strategic partnering in
Government.

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FEMA Operations Center (FOC) – A continuously operating entity of DHS, which is
responsible for monitoring emergency operations and promulgating notification of
changes to COGCON status.
Geographic Dispersion – The distribution of personnel, functions, facilities, and other
resources in physically different locations from one another.
Government Functions – Government functions are the collective functions of
organizations, as defined by the Constitution, statute, regulation, presidential direction or
other legal authorities, and the functions of the legislative and judicial branches. These
functions are activities that are conducted to accomplish an organization’s mission and
serve its stakeholders.
Headquarters (HQ) - In this FCD, the term “headquarters” refers to the central, head
offices of operations for organizations identified in Annex A of NSPD-51/HSPD-20.
Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) – A capabilitiesbased and performance-based program that furnishes standardized policies, doctrines, and
terminologies for the design, development, performance, and evaluation of homeland
security exercises. The National Exercise Program uses the HSEEP as a common
methodology for exercises. HSEEP also provides tools and resources to facilitate the
management of self-sustaining homeland security exercise programs.
Hot Site – A continuity facility that already has in place the computer,
telecommunications, other information technology, environmental infrastructure, and
personnel required to recover critical business functions or information systems.
Interagency Board – A working group established by the NCC to review and
recommend validation of potential PMEFs submitted by organizations for submission to
the NCC for final approval.
Interoperability – “Interoperability” has two meanings: (1) The ability of systems,
personnel, or organizations to provide services to and accept services from other systems,
personnel, or organizations, and to use the services so exchanged so that these
organizations can operate together effectively; (2) A condition that is realized among
electronic communications operating systems or grids and/or among individual electronic
communications devices, when those systems and/or devices allow the direct, seamless,
and satisfactory exchange of information and services between the users of those systems
and devices.
Interoperable Communications – Communications that provide the capability to
perform essential functions, in conjunction with other organizations, under all conditions.

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Leadership – The senior decisionmakers who have been elected (e.g., the President,
State governors) or designated (e.g., Cabinet Secretaries, chief executive officers) to head
a branch of Government or other organization. Depending on the organization, directors
and managers may also serve to assist in guiding the organization and making decisions.
Memorandum of Agreement/Memorandum of Understanding (MOA/MOU) –
Written agreements between organizations that require specific goods or services to be
furnished or tasks to be accomplished by one organization in support of the other.
Mission Essential Functions (MEFs) – The limited set of organization-level
government functions that must be continued throughout, or resumed rapidly after, a
disruption of normal activities.
Multi-Year Strategy and Program Management Plan (MYSPMP) – A plan that
guides the development of the continuity program over a set number of years via process
that ensures the maintenance and continued viability of continuity plans.
National Capital Region (NCR) - The National Capital Region was created pursuant to
the National Capital Planning Act of 1952 (40 U.S.C. § 71). The Act defined the NCR as
the District of Columbia; Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties of Maryland;
Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William Counties of Virginia; and all cities now
or here after existing in Maryland or Virginia within the geographic area bounded by the
outer boundaries of the combined area of said counties. The NCR includes the District of
Columbia and eleven local jurisdictions in the State of Maryland and the Commonwealth
of Virginia.
National Communications System (NCS) – A system governed by Executive Order
12472 and comprised of the telecommunications assets of 24 organizations. DHS serves
as the Executive Agent for the NCS, which is responsible for assisting the President, the
National Security Council, the Director of Office of Science and Technology Policy, and
the Director of OMB in (1) the exercise of telecommunications functions and their
associated responsibilities and (2) the coordination of planning for providing the Federal
Government, under all circumstances (including crises and emergencies, attacks, and
recovery and reconstitution from those events), with the requisite national security and
emergency preparedness communications resources.
National Continuity Coordinator (NCC) - The Assistant to the President for Homeland
Security and Counterterrorism is the NCC. The NCC is responsible for coordinating,
without exercising directive authority, the development and implementation of continuity
policy for executive branch organizations.
National Continuity Policy – It is the policy of the United States to maintain a
comprehensive and effective continuity capability composed of COOP and COG
programs in order to ensure the preservation of our form of Government under the
Constitution and the continuing performance of National Essential Functions under all
conditions (NSPD 51/HSPD 20, National Continuity Policy).

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FCD 1

National Essential Functions (NEFs) – The eight functions that are necessary to lead
and sustain the Nation during a catastrophic emergency and that, therefore, must be
supported through COOP and COG capabilities.
National Exercise Program – The Nation’s overarching exercise program executed by
federal interagency partners. All interagency partners have adopted HSEEP as the
methodology for all exercises that will be conducted as part of the Program.
Normal Operations – Generally and collectively, “normal operations” refer to the broad
functions undertaken by an organization when it is assigned responsibility for a given
functional area; these functions include day to day tasks, planning and execution of tasks.
Occupant Emergency Plan (OEP) – A short-term emergency response plan, which
establishes procedures for evacuating buildings or sheltering-in-place to safeguard lives
and property. Organizations may refer to this plan as the Emergency Plan or building
closure plan. Common scenarios that would lead to the activation of these plans would
be inclement weather, fire, localized power outages, and localized telecommunications
outages. These types of events are generally short-term in nature.
Orders of Succession – Orders of succession are a formal, sequential listing of
organization positions (rather than specific names of individuals) that identify who is
authorized to assume a particular leadership or management role under specific
circumstances.
Organization Head – The highest-ranking official of the organization, or a successor or
designee who has been selected by that official.
Organizations – Those executive departments enumerated in 5 U.S.C. § 101, together
with the DHS, independent establishments as defined by 5 U.S.C. § 104(1), Government
corporations as defined by 5 U.S.C. § 103(1), and the United States Postal Service. The
departments, agencies, commissions, bureaus, boards, and independent organizations are
referred to in this document as “organizations.”
Plan – A proposed or intended method of getting from one set of circumstances to
another. A plan is often used to move from the present situation towards the achievement
of one or more objectives or goals.
Primary Mission Essential Functions (PMEFs) – Those organization MEFs, validated
by the NCC, which must be performed in order to support the performance of NEFs
before, during, and in the aftermath of an emergency. PMEFs need to be continuous or
resumed within 12 hours after an event and maintained for up to 30 days or until normal
operations can be resumed.
Primary Operating Facility – The facility where an organization’s leadership and staff
operate on a day-to-day basis.

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FCD 1

Program – A group of related initiatives managed in a coordinated way, so as to obtain a
level of control and benefits that would not be possible from the individual management
of the initiatives. Programs may include elements of related work outside the scope of
the discrete initiatives in the program.
Readiness Reporting System (RRS) – A DHS program to collect and manage continuity
capability data and assessments of executive branch organizations and their status to
perform their PMEFs in support of the NEFs. The RRS will be used to conduct
assessments and track capabilities at all times under all conditions, to include natural
disasters, manmade incidents, terrorism, and war.
Reconstitution – The process by which surviving and/or replacement organization
personnel resume normal organization operations from the original or replacement
primary operating facility.
Recovery – The implementation of prioritized actions required to return an
organization’s processes and support functions to operational stability following an
interruption or disaster.
Redundancy – The state of having duplicate capabilities, such as systems, equipment, or
resources.
Resilience – The ability to adapt to changing conditions and withstand and rapidly
recover from disruption due to emergencies.
Rights and Interests Records – Records that are necessary to protect the legal and
financial rights of both the Federal Government and the persons who are affected by its
actions.
Risk Analysis – A systematic examination of the components and characteristics of risk.
Risk Assessment – A product or process which collects information and assigns values
to risks for the purpose of informing priorities, developing or comparing courses of
action, and informing decision making.
Risk Management – Risk management is the process of identifying, analyzing,
assessing, and communicating risk and accepting, avoiding, transferring, or controlling it
to an acceptable level considering associated costs and benefits of any actions taken.
Survivable Communications – The establishment and maintenance of an assured endto-end communications path during all phases of an all hazard event.
Telecommuting Locations – Those locations equipped with computers and telephones
that enable employees to work at home or at a location closer to their home than their
main office.

P-9

FCD 1

Telework – A work flexibility arrangement under which an employee performs the
duties and responsibilities of such employee’s position, and other authorized activities,
from an approved worksite other than the location from which the employee would
otherwise work.
Telework Site –An approved worksite where an employee performs his or her duties
other than the location from which the employee would otherwise work.
Tests, Training, and Exercises (TT&E) – Measures to ensure that an organization’s
continuity plan is capable of supporting the continued execution of the organization’s
essential functions throughout the duration of a continuity event. TT&E activities are
designed to familiarize, impart skills and ensure viability of continuity plans.
Warm Site – A continuity facility that is equipped with some computer,
telecommunications, other information technology, and environmental infrastructure,
which is capable of providing backup after additional personnel, equipment, supplies,
software, or customization are provided.
Weapons of Mass Destruction – Weapons that are capable of killing many people
and/or causing a high-order magnitude of destruction or weapons that are capable of
being used in such a way as to cause mass casualties or create large-scale destruction.
They are generally considered to be nuclear, biological, chemical, and radiological
devices, but these weapons can also be high-yield explosive devices.

P-10

ANNEX Q.

AUTHORITIES AND REFERENCES

The following are the authorities and references for this FCD.
AUTHORITIES:
1) Homeland Security Act of 2002, as amended (6 U.S.C. § 101 et seq.).
2) National Security Act of 1947, as amended (50 U.S.C. § 404).
3) Telework Enhancement Act, (5 U.S.C. §§ 6501-6506).
4) Executive Order 12148, Federal Emergency Management, July 20, 1979, as
amended.
5) Executive Order 12472, Assignment of National Security and Emergency
Preparedness Telecommunications Functions, April 3, 1984, as amended.
6) Executive Order 12656, Assignment of Emergency Preparedness Responsibilities,
November 18, 1988, as amended.
7) Executive Order 13286, Establishing the Office of Homeland Security, February
28, 2003.
8) Presidential Policy Directive 8, National Preparedness, April 11, 2011.
9) National Security Presidential Directive 51/Homeland Security Presidential
Directive 20, National Continuity Policy, May 9, 2007, as amended.
10) Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7, Critical Infrastructure Identification,
Prioritization, and Protection, December 17, 2003.
11) NCS Directive 3-10, Minimum Requirements for Continuity Communications
Capabilities, November 7, 2011.
12) National Continuity Policy Implementation Plan, August 2007.
REFERENCES:
1) 36 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 1236, Electronic Records Management,
November 2009.
2) 44 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 3541, Federal Information Security Act of
2002.
3) Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12, Policy for a Common Identification
Standard for Federal Employees and Contractors, August 27, 2004.
4) DHS Risk Management Fundamentals: Homeland Security Risk Management
Doctrine, April 2011.
5) DHS Security Risk Steering Committee, DHS Risk Lexicon 2010 Edition,
September 2010.

Q-1

6) FCD 2, Federal Executive Branch Mission Essential Function and Primary
Mission Essential Function Identification and Submission Process, February
2008.
7) HSEEP, Volume I: HSEEP Overview and Exercise Program Management,
February 2007.
8) HSEEP, Volume II: Exercise Planning and Conduct, February 2007.
9) HSEEP, Volume III: Exercise Evaluation and Improvement Planning, February
2007.
10) Intelligence Community Standard Number 500-19, Universal Access and Remote
Access to TS/SCI Web Content and Services, July 7, 2010.
11) Office of Management and Budget Memorandum M-05-16, Regulation on
Maintaining Telecommunication Services during a Crisis or Emergency in
Federally-owned Buildings, June 30, 2005.
12) OPM Guide to Telework in the Federal Government, April 2011.
13) OPM Washington, DC, Area Dismissal and Closure Procedures, December 2010.
14) OPM Handbook on Pay and Leave Benefits for Federal Employees Affected by
Severe Weather Conditions or Other Emergency Situations, July 2007.
15) OPM Human Resources Flexibilities and Authorities in the Federal Government,
January 2008.
16) National Exercise Program Implementation Plan, November 2011.
17) National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800-34,
Revision 1, Contingency Planning Guide for Federal Information Systems, May
2010.
18) National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800-53,
Revision 3, Recommended Security Controls for Federal Systems and
Organizations, August 2009.
19) NCS Directive 3-1, Telecommunications Service Priority System for National
Security Emergency Preparedness, August 10, 2000.
20) NCS Handbook 3-10-1, Guidance for Improving Route Diversity within Local
Area Networks, February 9, 2009.
21) NCS Manual 3-10-1, Guidance for Implementing NCS Directive 3-10, January 8,
2008.

Q-2