Friday, December 4 – Programme Manager at the Department of Disaster Management, Mrs. Sheniah Armstrong-Davies is now certified in business continuing management, one of the key tools to effectively recover from a disaster.
Mrs. Armstrong-Davies recently completed a diploma programme in Business Continuity Management in Orlando, Florida at the Institute for Business Continuity Training. She also successfully completed the United States National Level Certification in Business Continuity Management which allowed her to receive the designation of Certified Business Continuity Manager (CCM).
With her new certification, the DDM Programme Manager is expected to boost the department’s ability to provide the necessary support to the private sector in the development of business continuity plans.
The programme focused on how businesses would continue their operation after being impacted by significant threats. The ability of an organization to recover from a hazard impact or disaster is directly related to the degree of business continuity planning that took place before the event. Industry analysts claim that two out of five businesses that experience a disaster will go out of business within five years of the event, hence the great significance the DDM places on Mrs. Armstrong-Davies’ new certification.
The DDM Programme Manager explained that “Business continuity plans are critical to the transparent and continuous operation of all types of businesses. More importantly, these strategies are assuming increased importance as companies become increasingly reliant on technology to do business.”
She added, “As companies place more emphasis on information technology and communications services to support their customer communications and transactions, or to help manage supply chains, they become less tolerant of information and service loss as a consequence of hazard impact or disasters.”
The course was fully funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) to assist the DDM in accomplishing the outputs in its Comprehensive Disaster Management Mainstreaming and the Recovery Planning Programme area which are currently managed by Mrs. Armstrong-Davies. The DDM official was among delegates from several other countries attending the training sessions including Cameroon, Canada, Honduras, Mexico and the United States.
The Institute for Business Continuity Training administers the only independent professional examinations in business continuity planning and is the only international certification body that specifically addresses the distinct nature of business continuity planning in the private sector and in government.
The institute offers courses that are held periodically in other locations around the world. Talks are currently ongoing between the DDM and H. Lavity Stoutt Community College to have the course offered locally for the private sector. DDM is urging businesses to develop business continuity and recovery plans as part of their preparedness activities.
Government departments and statutory boards are mandated by law to develop disaster continuity plans, which must be reviewed, tested and approved by DDM. In a recent paper submitted to Cabinet, the DDM indicated that approximately 70% of Government departments and statutory agencies have approved or draft Disaster Management Plans in place. The DDM is also working with the Department of Education to have Disaster Management Plans completed for all public schools throughout the Territory at pre-primary, primary, secondary and tertiary levels. It is expected that private educational institutions will follow this trend as well.
DDM is responsible for mobilising all sectors of the community to take effective action to significantly reduce vulnerability to natural and man-made disasters.
British Virgin Islands News