Georgetown University

Announcements

Business Continuity Awareness Week

March 19-23, 2012

 

There is an old saying that “no crisis improves with age.” Now is the time to look at our business continuity preparedness.

March 19-23 2012 has been designated as Business Continuity Awareness Week (BCAW). Facilitated by the Business Continuity Institute (BCI), the theme for this year is “The Time to Act is Now."

A living example of preparedness came from Snomageddon 2010, when learning persevered. The 'Snowmageddon' storm, as dubbed by President Obama, was the biggest snowstorm Washington DC has seen in nearly 90 years. Thanks to a mix of creativity, technology and resolve, Georgetown faculty and staff were able to carry on despite blizzard conditions requiring a six-day University shutdown. Blogs, videoconferencing, taped lectures, and chat rooms were used to ensure continuity of learning.

According to the Provost, “turning the university campus into a nonstop learning environment -- learning everywhere, all the time -- is a dream come true for those of us who feel intensely the value of what we do here and the opportunities that we have.”
Consider these thoughts:
• Decisions made under pressure may lead to reduced options and unwanted media scrutiny.
• Management of a crisis may have far reaching consequences beyond the original incident.
• The level of educational excellence for which we are known could be disrupted or discontinued, without a solid plan in place.
Business Continuity Management (BCM) allows us to identify potential threats to the University, and detail impacts to our business operations if those threats are realized. BCM provides a structured response and framework to develop our resilience and provide an effective response that safeguards our key stakeholders, our reputation and brand, and educational endeavors. BCM ensures that any disruption to our mission and objectives at Georgetown University are mitigated in the face of emergency.

 

Activities during BCAW include:
• New research: The BCI and its partners will be publishing new research through the week. Webcasts will provide an opportunity to engage with the authors of these reports.
• New webcasts: 30+ webcast program that will run throughout the week. View them live and ask questions or watch recordings.
• BCAW Forum: LinkedIn Forum for newcomers to ask questions of the BC community and for more experienced practitioners to debate the hot topics in the industry.
• BC24: Groundbreaking, multi-role, online incident simulation game to test your organization’s crisis management skills, and informally benchmark with businesses across the world.
Go to http://www.bcaw2012.com/index.php to read more about BCAW.

 

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Georgetown Hosts Picnic for First Responders

August 11, 2011 - President John DeGioia held the annual summer Picnic for First Responders at Georgetown University's Leo O'Donovan Dining Hall as a token of gratitude for their selfless dedication to protecting the health and safety of the Georgetown University community.  Invited agencies included the DC Fire & EMS department, Metropolitan Police Department, Department of Public Safety, GERMS, Safety & Environmental Management, Emergency Management & Operational Continuity, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Diplomatic Security Service, representatives from the Georgetown University SNAP program, and Georgetown's Building & Floor Marshals.  Responders enjoyed a summer-style picnic while talking with President DeGioia and other members of Georgetown University's staff.

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Hurricane Preparedness Week

May 22 – 28, 2011 - President Obama declared May 22-28 “National Hurricane Preparedness Week." FEMA, along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is helping to raise awareness of steps that can be taken to help protect citizens, and their communities and property. Please refer to the FEMA Blog for daily updates on what the Agency and its partners are doing to prepare for the 2011 Hurricane Season.

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Inaugural CERT Training Session Completed

September 18, 2010 - The first training session of Georgetown University’s Campus Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program was completed. The volunteers in attendance for training included students, staff and faculty from universities around the city --Catholic, American, Trinity, Howard, George Washington and Gallaudet universities—in addition to Georgetown University students, faculty and staff. A U.S. Department of Education grant allowed the university to host the first of four training sessions. The goal of the program is to create a group of trained volunteers who can safely support emergency services workers. 
 

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Georgetown Establishes Volunteer Emergency Response Team for Campus Community

June 29, 2010 - This year will mark the inception of Georgetown University’s Campus Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program. CERT teams are made up of ordinary citizens trained in basic disaster response who offer critical support to first responders by helping to stabilize an emergency situation, providing immediate assistance to victims, organizing spontaneous volunteers at a disaster site, and collecting vital information for rescue personnel.

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Georgetown's Director of Emergency Management and Operational Continuity appointed to ASIS Council

June 2010 - Whit Chaiyabhat, Georgetown's Director of Emergency Management & Operational Continuity, was appointed as a member of ASIS International's Crisis Management & Business Continuity (CMBC) Council in June 2010. In this voluntary capacity, he joins a select number of international crisis management and business continuity professionals to promote crisis management, business continuity, and organizational resilience concepts worldwide. ASIS International CMBC Council

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Request for Proposals for Records Management System

June 25, 2010 - Georgetown University’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) is seeking proposals for implementation of a Records Management System (RMS) that is compatible with the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). 

RMS Request for Proposals

(click the link above to view the document) 

A NIBRS compliant RMS will enable DPS to maintain accurate, easily accessible records of the information that is relevant to law enforcement and public safety at Georgetown University. This Request for Proposal (RFP) is intended to solicit detailed information regarding the provision of goods and services a fully integrated RMS solution; including service, training and maintenance.

Bidders must notify Georgetown University of their intention to submit an offer to this RFP no later than 9:00 PM, Eastern Time on July 2, 2010.

Questions and inquiries may be directed to William Badertscher, Senior Engineer, Facilities & Safety Control Systems -- wdc8@georgetown.edu or Joseph Smith, Associate Director, Department of Public Safety -- jls275@georgetown.edu.  

Bidder's response must be submitted and received by Georgetown University no later than 9:00 PM, Eastern Time on July 20, 2010. Submissions are to be submitted in electronic form on CD/DVD. Text documents must be formatted in Microsoft Word 2003/2007 or Adobe PDF. Bidders should also submit 10 (ten) bound hard copies.

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Georgetown University Wins 2009 International Association of Emergency Managers Business & Industry Preparedness Award

November 3, 2009 - Georgetown University Department of Emergency Management & Operational Continuity wins the prestigious 2009 International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Business & Industry Preparedness Award.  More Details... 

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Georgetown Awarded Emergency Management for Higher Education Grant

June 1, 2009 - Georgetown University is awarded an Emergency Management for Higher Education Grant (2009) from the U.S. Department of Education in the amount of $549,302.   More Details...