August 2020 Chapter Meeting
COVID19 - Where do you start, when you are starting too late?
Lizz Floro, Denver Office of Denver Emergency Management
Chapter Meeting Recap
The August ACP chapter meeting gave our members a unique view into the Coronavirus pandemic crisis from a person on the front lines.
Chapter member Lizz Floro is the Continuity and Critical Infrastructure Coordinator for the Denver Office of Emergency Management.
As Lizz explained, all continuity professionals would prefer that our organizations have routinely followed the normal preparedness cycle: Business Process Analysis, Business Impact Analysis, Strategizing and Planning, Testing and Training. When the pandemic hit, those without that preparedness – or who had not anticipated this type of event – had to act quickly: develop a BIA through leadership decisions; complete process analysis, strategizing, and planning all at once; and document as you go. Lizz provided excellent guidelines for how to lead a team through making very difficult decisions quickly, without creating more risk, and how to coordinate with the many other stakeholders involved across the city, multiple counties, and state and Federal agencies.
When asked her biggest challenge, Lizz said it was communications. She and her team used all channels possible to reach varying audiences (and capture feedback) and were prepared to “translate” when necessary for those not part of the continuity community.
About Lizz Floro
In her role with the Denver Office of Emergency Management, Lizz Floro is responsible for coordinating the City and County's continuity program including continuity of government, continuity of operations, and business continuity. Lizz also leads the critical infrastructure and key resource protection program. She is expanding the existing planning programs to include technological updates, further training and exercises, and broader outreach for the City and County's agencies and private sector partners. She holds a Master's degree in Emergency & Disaster Management from Georgetown University.