Continuity of Operations

Pierce County is committed to delivering reliable public service with minimal interruption.

Continuity of Operations (COOP) enables an organization to continue its essential functions and provide critical services during and after any potential disruption to normal operations - not only from emergencies or major disasters.

Frequent examples of non-emergency situations include:

• Losing access to—or habitability at—the primary operating facility.
• An isolated loss of utilities or damages to equipment.
• Unavailability of a substantial number of employees.

Pierce County departments develop continuity plans to maintain their missions throughout an event until restoration of normal operations.

Continuity plans do two things:

1. Identify and describe an organization’s essential functions—activities that cannot have an interruption greater than 30 days—and the processes to support their operation.
2. Provide or reference the organization’s procedures for notifications, orders of succession, delegations of authority, alternate locations, essential records, and reconstitution.