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NFPA Press Release
2007 Edition of NFPA 1600 available at no cost
Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs

The 2007 edition of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs is available for download at no charge at NFPA’s Web site.

The standard establishes a common set of criteria that sets a foundation for disaster management, emergency management, and business continuity programs using a total program approach. Organizations and parties responsible for developing such programs will benefit from information on emergency management, prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery, and business continuity.

"Whether they are initiated by nature or human caused, disasters and emergencies wreak havoc," said James M. Shannon, president and CEO of NFPA. "As organizations plan for unpredictable situations that may arise, NFPA 1600 has become the gold standard to help organizations develop an inclusive plan – a plan that will prove essential in achieving the most successful outcome possible when disaster strikes."

NFPA 1600’s latest edition incorporates changes to the 2004 edition and expands the conceptual framework of the earlier version. Aspects of mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery which are focused on in earlier versions have been updated, and prevention has been added as a fifth and distinct concept.

In 1991, NFPA’s Standards Council established the Disaster Management Committee to develop a preparedness standard that identified key components of a comprehensive plan that could be used by a variety of organizations. The plan was intended to address preparations for, responses to, and recovery from disasters resulting from natural, human or technological events. This was the beginning of NFPA 1600.

Utilized by and developed for organizations in both the public and private sector, NFPA 1600 is one of NFPA’s most widely implemented standards. More than 115,000 copies have been downloaded from NFPA’s Web site since 2004.

The Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP), a program available to state territorial and local government programs, bases its voluntary national accreditation process on NFPA 1600. Nine states, two counties and the District of Columbia have earned EMAP accreditation by ensuring that their disaster preparedness and response systems meet national standards in 15 areas, including: planning; resource management; training; exercises, evaluations and corrective actions; and communications and warning. EMAP accredited states include: Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Montana, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Printed copies can be ordered through the online catalog and will be available April 2007.

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