Under-appreciated investment in disaster recovery testing

There is an interesting article this week in the Continuity Forum about simulations as a way of testing responses to disasters.

"From a bland, open-plan office in the Wiltshire countryside, distinguished only by a large plasma television screen and a "bat phone" prominently displayed on a table, officials gather regularly to handle the most horrific disasters.

This week, their eyes were on the European early warning and response system displayed on the screen, while their ears listened out for the phone, which is linked to a protected government communications network. They have been coping with the challenge of a flu pandemic that threatens to kill millions of people and cause billions of pounds of economic damage and disruption.

Last month, from the same heavily guarded operations room - dubbed "the blue lagoon" by staff after the shade of its government-issue carpets - they were dealing with the unintended release by terrorists of a biological weapon. Early next year, they will be preparing for the aftermath of extreme weather and flooding.

None of these events has so far come to pass but the staff at the Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response of the Health Protection Agency (HPA) believe the experience they have accumulated in recent years will prove invaluable when the next public health emergency strikes. The crisis erupting this week in Harbin, the Chinese city threatened by a toxic slick, is a reminder of the unrest that can result from such catastrophes."

The concepts are parallel to those used in business continuity testing and disaster recovery testing by commercial organisations, although the a company's scenarios are generally much less horrific and less extensive in scope.

Mr Simpson concedes that there is an element of artificiality and a risk that participants may "game" the simulation rather than behaving as they would in reality. But he argues that the exercises provide important lessons.

"Getting all the major players together in a building for a day provides large intangible benefits," he says. "If something happens, people have met and can talk. Simply getting to know opposite numbers is useful, and clarifying roles and responsibilities. It gives us the ability to look at plans, see how they interact and suggest improvements."

The article conclusion will be familiar to everyone invoved in business continuity assurance and testing:

If the result is to reduce the impact of a future pandemic, simulations may be an under-appreciated investment that is worth the cost.