Environmental Health & Safety

Continuity of Operations Plan - COOP

TEMPLATES (Word Documents) - Please submit digital plans to emergencymanagement@uncw.edu

Business COOP

Research COOP

Continuity of Operations Planning is a federal initiative to encourage people and departments to plan to address how critical operations will continue under a broad range of circumstances.  COOP is important as a good business practice because the planning fosters recovery and survival in and after emergency situations.

What is a Continuity of Operations Plan?

  • A tool to identify preventative measures to take before a disaster strikes to avoid losses and identify measures to quickly restore services
  • Uses a template that is easily completed
  • Departmental plans are grouped and “rolled up” into a university-wide plan
  • COOP program assists in university reaccreditation
  • COOPs are mandated by UNCW Internal Audit

Purpose of a Continuity of Operations Plan

  • After a disaster or emergency that affects property, research, personnel, technology, or services, resumption of essential services must be restored
  • Provides situational awareness for department to identify gaps in preservation of records, research, and data
  • Plan identifies priority of service restoration to best allocate resources to most critical areas
  • Plan also identifies space needs so that Space Planning can develop pre-plans for special space needs that best suits the department

How is it completed?

  • Each department chair identifies a COOP coordinator and planning team
  • The COOP coordinator schedules a kickoff meeting and training session for the department planning team by Emergency Management in the Environmental Health & Safety department
  • Emergency Management provides a template to the COOP coordinator
  • The COOP coordinator may contact Emergency Management for advice at any time or to schedule a review meeting
  • The department completes the COOP template and returns a digital copy to emergencymanagement@uncw.edu Emergency Management

CONTINUITY OF OPERATIONS PLANNING TEMPLATE (COOP) - Word Doc
RESEARCH CONTINUITY OF OPERATIONS PLANNING TEMPLATE - Word Doc