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We know that DRI International certified professionals are supporting their communities every day in a number of very important ways. But, what about officially?

This short survey seeks information on certified professionals who may serve in an elected or appointed role (council member, fire chief, emergency manager, etc.) within their communities. Click here for the survey.

While business continuity is done differently from company to company, we generally accept that the DRI International Professional Practices serve as a framework for the moving parts of the planning process.  I get that.   

You also may fast path when necessary.  You may choose to embed a simple word document or excel spreadsheet or Visio diagram or use an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) and kind of call it the plan for now.  Many of us would find new and creative ways to get our business communities to actually do the work (what a concept!), and the dirty little secret is that many of us would write the lion's share of the plan for our internal clients...just to call it done. 

So, how many of you have these hidden little secrets about your BC program?  How do you find creative ways to be successful in developing a robust and viable plan?  How many of you have veered away from the stated methodology to "make it real"?  Come on, I know it's done all the time. 

The question is: Is that cheating?  Or is it simply BC Planning at its finest?  Or is that really standard operating procedure?  I contend that we all have rules within our BC programs that we routinely break (side-step) to get the job done.  True?  I contend that the importance of a viable/sustainable plan supersedes the need to stay within the boundaries as set forth by the BC Program Management Office.  Well, sometimes I was the program management office, and I contributed to the establishment of the rules and guidelines.  So, I got a free pass.  But how many of you when confronted with myriad forms, templates, and rules sometimes just go a little rogue and simply asked your clients questions like: What keeps you up at night? What do you do here that you deem most vital?  What does your senior leadership see as the strategic imperatives for this group/company? Can we quickly get to the crux of the matter here and save us all some time and energy? If it happened tonight, what would you do? 

Have any of you ever used these hidden gems of BC fast pathing?  I have.  Is this BC heresy or practicality at its best?  Sometimes we recognize the need for process and perfection.  Other times, practicality becomes our guide.  That's not to say we should cast the professional practices to the wind.  On the contrary, you really do need to incorporate all of that!  It's important and it will get you to the goal line.  I am not suggesting that you cut corners and develop a plan based on conjecture and guesswork. I am suggesting that you respect your clients' calendars and move rapidly and methodically through the process without torturing them with unnecessary administrivia.  Do I feel better for saying that?   For sharing my shortcuts and secrets?   I'm not really sure.  But let's take a minute to turn from our secrets to some of the hidden gems and secrets of Philadelphia, our host city for DRI2013 (to be held June 4-7):

• Reading Terminal Market Giveaways: Head to the hallowed dining hall shortly before closing time (6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 5 p.m. on Sunday) for steep discounts or even freebies from merchants looking to unload the day's goods.
• Insectarium: Who knew Frankford Avenue was home to the country's largest bug museum, where thousands of live and mounted insect, both newly discovered and extinct species, creep out kids and adults alike
• Whispering Benches: Though the explanation for the two "Whispering Benches" in Philadelphia is best left up to scientists, it is fact that the Ellen Phillips Samuel Memorial on Kelly Drive and the Smith Memorial Arch on the Avenue of the Republic both boast stone benches where two people sitting on far ends of each 50-foot bench can whisper yet hear each other clearly. The perfect place for sharing secrets!

Have a great week everyone.

I don't play video games.  Just never got into it.  Until very recently, I thought WoW was a typo.  I also don't engage in Facebook fun, like Bejeweled Blitz, which sounds like the electronic version of the BeDazzler, a product I do not own.  I routinely and swiftly declined invitations to play such games...until last night.  I couldn't sleep and was online trying to bore my brain into submission when a FB friend posted how hard SongPop is and how she never wins.  

Well, I have often said that I wish I could take all of the song lyrics living in my head and replace them with actual, useful information.  I am a repository of lyrics and melodies, even horn lines and guitar licks.  It just sticks.  And now, I have a use for it.  I rock at SongPop!  I even beat a night owl friend of mine who has perfect pitch!  This guy and his magic ears can tell you what note your doorbell plays, but I need less than a second to guess Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart."  Turn around, Bright Eyes, indeed!

So, when I got an email this morning from DRI International's Director of Education Kelley Okolita, I was still riding the SongPop wave (with Baba O'Reilly on repeat in my head), even though I'd stopped playing at midnight. Kelley was writing to tell me about a new app from the American Red Cross that was just released today.  It's a wildfire app.  And, those of you who know bad songs will know right where that took me.  The delightfully alliterative Michael Martin Murphey's truly terrible song about a horse named "Wildfire." Released in 1975 (I was seven), this over-wrought ballad tells the story of a ghost horse and its rider, and one or the other (it's hard to tell which) gets lost and dies in a blizzard that happened on the same night as a "killing frost."

Well, that's pretty much meteorologically impossible.  I grew up on a farm with a real horse and I know that a "killing frost," while it may sound scary, is a threat to your garden vegetables, does not coincide with a blizzard, and can't actually kill a person...or a horse.  Whew! You can cross that off your list of threats to assess!  But real wildfires are serious business and require planning, not horsing around.

The Red Cross app (which joins a line-up of other stellar apps for first aid and earthquakes) "puts lifesaving information right in the hands of people who live in or who visit wildfire-prone areas," according to the official announcement. The Wildfire App includes:

*         The "Blaze Tracker" trio of features-which can be customized for alerts specific to locations where users live, travel, or have loved ones:  "Blaze Warnings" which let users see areas where NOAA has issued warnings that conditions are favorable for potential wildfires; "Blaze Alerts" inform users when a wildfire has begun within 100 miles of any locations monitored;  "Blaze Path" from Inciweb.org which provides users with a current view of an existing wildfire's perimeter, how it has spread and the fire's current location when available;

*         Comprehensive reporting of all wildfire activity for every geographic area in the United States;

*         Options to view the app in English or Spanish based on user language settings;

*         One touch "I'm safe" messaging that allows users to broadcast reassurance to family and friends via social media outlets that they are out of harm's way (which is Kelley's favorite feature);

*         Locations of open Red Cross shelters;

*         Simple steps and checklists people can use to create a family emergency plan;

*         Preloaded content that gives users instant access to critical action steps, even without mobile connectivity;

*         Toolkit with flashlight, strobe light and audible alarm; and

*         Badges users can earn through interactive quizzes and share on social networks.

To download the app, visit the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store for Android by searching for American Red Cross. I highly recommend it. Play SongPop at your own risk.