Monongalia County

Office of Emergency Management

 

Glossary/Terms

 

 

 

 

 

A
ABC FIRE EXTINGUISHER Chemically based devices used to eliminate ordinary combustible, flammable liquid, and electrical fires.
ACTIVATION When all or a portion of the recovery plan has been put into motion.
AG Attorney General
ALERT Notification that a disaster situation has occurred - stand by for possible activation of disaster recovery plan.
APCO Associated Public-Safety Communications Officer, Inc.
APPLICATION RECOVERY The component of Disaster Recovery which deals specifically with the restoration of business system software and data, after the processing platform has been restored or replaced. SIMILAR TERMS: Business System Recovery
APPLICATIONS SOFTWARE Computer software programs or systems which provide direct support to the business unit user. Computers perform the functions of the business using applications software programs which replicate those functions that were once performed manually or were mechanized in some other manner prior to being automated.
ARC American Red Cross
ARES Amateur Radio Emergency Services
ARM Aerial Radiological Monitor
ARRL Amateur Radio Relay League
ASSUMPTIONS Basic understandings about unknown disaster situations that the disaster recovery plan is based on.
ATC Applied Technology Council
B   Back to top
BACK OFFICE LOCATION An office or building, used by the organization to conduct support activities, that is not located within an organization's headquarters or main location.
BACKUP AGREEMENTS A contract to provide a service which includes the method of performance, the fees, the duration, the services provided, and the extent of security and confidentiality maintained.
BACKUP POSITION LISTING A list of alternative personnel who can fill a recovery team position when the primary person is not available.
BACKUP POWER An alternate source of power (usually diesel generators) which produces sufficient electricity to operate an organization’s computers, lights, and other electrical equipment when commercial power fails.
BCP Business Continuity Planning.
  An all encompassing, "umbrella" term covering both disaster recovery planning and business resumption planning. Also see disaster recovery planning and business resumption planning.
BUSINESS AS USUAL The conduct of routine business functions under normal operating conditions.
BUSINESS IMPACT ANALYSIS The process of analyzing all business functions and the effect that a specific disaster may have upon them.
BUSINESS INTERRUPTION Any event, whether anticipated (i.e., public service strike) or unanticipated (i.e., blackout) which disrupts the normal course of business operations at a corporate location.
BUSINESS INTERRUPTION COSTS The costs or lost revenue associated with an interruption in normal business operations.
BUSINESS RECOVERY PLAN (See Disaster Recovery Plan) A document containing corporate-wide policies and test-validated procedures and action instructions developed specifically for use in restoring company operations in the event of a declared disaster.
BUSINESS RECOVERY PROCESS The common critical path that all companies follow during a recovery effort. There are major nodes along the path which are followed regardless of the organization. The process has seven stages: 1) Immediate response, 2) Environmental restoration, 3) Functional restoration, 4) Data synchronization, 5) Restore business functions, 6) Interim site, and 7) Return home.
BUSINESS RECOVERY TEAM A group of individuals responsible for maintaining and coordinating the recovery process. SIMILAR TERMS: Recovery Team
BUSINESS UNIT RECOVERY The component of Disaster Recovery which deals specifically with the relocation of key organization personnel in the event of a disaster, and the provision of essential records, equipment supplies, work space, communication facilities, computer processing capability, etc. SIMILAR TERMS: Work Group Recovery.
C   Back to top
CAP Civil Air Patrol
CCA Comprehensive Cooperative Agreement
CD Civil Defense
CDC Centers for Disease Control
CDRP Certified Business Continutity Planner (CBCP) or Disaster Recovery Planner.

CBCP's are certified by the Disaster Recovery Institute, a not-for-profit corporation, which promotes the credibility and professionalism in the DR industry.
CEMNET Comprehensive Emergency Management Network
CEMP Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan
CENTREX Central Exchange
COE Corps of Engineers
COG Continuity of Government
COMMUNICATIONS FAILURE An unplanned interruption in electronic communication between a terminal and a computer processor, or between processors, as a result of a failure of any of the hardware, software, or telecommunications components comprising the link. (Also refer to Network Outage.)
COMMUNICATIONS RECOVERY The component of Disaster Recovery which deals with the restoration or rerouting of an organization's telecommunication network, or its components, in the event of loss. SIMILAR TERMS: (Telecommunication Recovery, Data Communications Recovery)
CPG Civil Preparedness Guide
CRISIS A critical event, which, if not handled in an appropriate manner, may dramatically impact an organization's profitability, reputation, or ability to operate.
CRISIS MANAGEMENT The overall coordination of an organization's response to a crisis, in an effective, timely manner, with the goal of avoiding or minimizing damage to the organization's profitability, reputation, or ability to operate.
CRISIS SIMULATION The process of testing an organization's ability to respond to a crisis in a coordinated, timely, and effective manner, by simulating the occurrence of a specific crisis.
CRITICAL APPLICATION(S) Those computer application programs which absolutely must be processed in order to support those business functions or processes essential to business survival.
CRITICAL FUNCTIONS Business activities or information which could not be interrupted or unavailable for several business days without significantly jeopardizing operation of the organization.
CRITICAL RECORDS Records or documents which, if damaged or destroyed, would cause considerable inconvenience and/or require replacement or recreation at considerable expense.
CSDP Chemical Stockpile Disposal Program
CSEPP Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program
D   Back to top
(US) DA Department of Agriculture
DAC Disaster Application Center/Disaster Assistance Council
DAMAGE ASSESSMENT The process of assessing damage, following a disaster, to computer hardware, vital records, office facilities, etc. and determining what can be salvaged or restored and what must be replaced.
DAP Disaster Assistance Program
DATA CENTER RECOVERY The component of Disaster Recovery which deals with the restoration, at an alternate location, of data centers services and computer processing capabilities. SIMILAR TERMS: Mainframe Recovery.
DATA CENTER RELOCATION The relocation of an organization's entire data processing operation.
DECON Decontamination
DEDICATED LINE A preestablished point to point communication link between computer terminals and a computer processor, or between distributed processors that does not require dial-up access.
DFO Disaster-Field Office
DISASTER Any event that creates an inability on an organizations part to provide critical business functions for some predetermined period of time. SIMILAR TERMS: Business Interruption; Outage; Catastrophe.
DISASTER PREVENTION Measures employed to prevent, detect, or contain incidents which, if unchecked, could result in disaster.
DISASTER PREVENTION CHECKLIST A questionnaire used to assess preventative measures in areas of operations such as overall security, software, data files, data entry reports, microcomputers, and personnel.
DISASTER RECOVERY The ability to respond to an interruption in services by implementing a disaster recovery plan to restore an organization's critical business functions.
DISASTER RECOVERY PERIOD The time period between a disaster and a return to normal functions, during which the disaster recovery plan is employed.
DISASTER RECOVERY PLAN The document that defines the resources, actions, tasks and data required to manage the business recovery process in the event of a business interruption. The plan is designed to assist in restoring the business process within the stated disaster recovery goals.
DISASTER RECOVERY PLANNING The technological aspect of business continuity planning. The advance planning and preparations which are necessary to minimize loss and ensure continuity of the critical business functions of an organization in the event of disaster. SIMILAR TERMS: Contingency planning; business resumption planning; corporate contingency planning; business interruption planning; disaster preparedness.
DNR Department of Natural Resources
DO Duty Officer
DOA Department of Agriculture
DOC Department of Corrections
(US) DOE Department of Energy
DOT Department of Transportation
DUE DILIGENCE The practice of gathering the necessary information on actual or potential risks so that a well formulated decision may be reached regarding the potential for financial loss. Due diligence in the financial services industry is comparable to mitigation in the emergency management field. Both protect against disaster.
E
EAS Emergency Alert System
EENET Emergency Educational Network
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT The effective use of resources to prepare for, respond to, recover from, or mitigate the consequences of an emergency or a disaster. Associated terms: crisis management, disaster management.
EMA Emergency Management Assistance
EMC Emergency Management Council
EMERGENCY A sudden, unexpected event requiring immediate action due to potential threat to health and safety, the environment, or property.
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS The discipline which ensures an organization, or community's readiness to respond to an emergency in a coordinated, timely, and effective manner.
EMERGENCY PROCEDURES A plan of action to commence immediately to prevent the loss of life and minimize injury and property damage.
EMI Emergency Management Institute
EMP Emergency Management Program/Electromagnetic Pulse.
EMT Emergency Management Training
EOC Emergency Operations Center.
  A common term used in business contingency planning to refer to the pre-planned, pre-arranged location from which the Emergency Response Coordinator, the emergency management team, and/or senior corporate managers will manage and direct emergency response and disaster recovery operation.
EOP Emergency Operations Plan
EPA Environmental Protection Agency
EPIO Emergency Public Information Officer
EPZ Emergency Planning Zone
ERC Employee Relief Center.
  A predetermined location for employees and their families to obtain food, supplies, financial assistance, etc., in the event of a catastrophic disaster.
EXERCISE A simulation or drill during which planned business recovery actions and procedures are performed or simulated as they would be in response to an actual disaster or business interruption. See Also Test Plan.
EXPOSURE A state or condition of being unprotected. Vulnerability to harm or loss. In the business sense, the condition of having corporate assets and/or resources subject to risk.
EXTENDED OUTAGE A lengthy, unplanned interruption in system availability due to computer hardware or software problems, or communication failures.
F   Back to top
FAA Federal Aviation Administration
FCC Federal Communications Commission
FCO Federal Coordinating Officer
FDA Food and Drug Administration
FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency
FRC Federal Response Center
G   Back to top
GENERATOR An independent source of power usually fueled by diesel or natural gas.
H   Back to top
HALON A gas used to extinguish fires effective only in closed areas.
HAZARD A dangerous situation or event which may or may not lead to an emergency or disaster.
HAZARD PROBABILITY The likelihood that an event will happen.
HAZARD SOURCE The point of origin of a hazard.
HAZMAT Hazardous Materials
HVA Hazard Vulnerability Analysis
I   Back to top
ICS Incident Command System
IEMS Integrated Emergency Management System
IFG Individual and Family Grant
IMS Incident Management System
INTERRUPTION An outage caused by the failure of one or more communications links with entities outside of the local facility.
J   Back to top
JIC Joint Information Center
K   Back to top
KI Potassium Iodide (Thyroid Blocking Agent)
L   Back to top
LAN Local Area Network.
  Computing equipment, in close proximity to each other, connected to a server which houses software that can be access by the users. This method does not utilize a public carrier. SEE ALSO WAN.
LAN RECOVERY The component of Disaster Recovery which deals specifically with the replacement of LAN equipment in the event of a disaster, and the restoration of essential data and software SIMILAR TERMS: Client/Server Recovery
LEPC Local Emergency Planning Committee
M   Back to top
MOA Memorandum of Agreement
MOU Memorandum of Understanding
MSDS Material Safety Data Sheet
N
NATURAL THREATS Events caused by nature causing disruptions to an organization.
NAWAS National Warning System
NEMA National Emergency Management Association (state directors)
NENA National Emergency Number Association (911)
NETC National Emergency Training Center
NFIP National Flood Insurance Program
NGA National Governor's Association
NOAA National Oceanic Administrative Agency
NRC Nuclear Regulatory Commission
NTSB National Transportation Safety Board
NWS National Weather Service
O   Back to top
OIC Officer in Charge
OSC On Scene Commander
P   Back to top
PDS Professional Development Series
PIO Public Information Officer
PREPAREDNESS Those activities, programs, and systems that exist prior to an emergency which are used to support and enhance response to an emergency or disaster.
R   Back to top
RACES Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services
RECIPROCAL AGREEMENT An agreement between two organizations with compatible computer configurations allowing either organization to utilize the other's excess processing capacity in the event of a disaster.
RECORD RETENTION Storing historical documentation for a set period of time, usually mandated by state and federal law or the Internal Revenue Service.
REP Radiological Emergency Preparedness
RESPONSE Those activities and programs designed to address the immediate and short-term effects at the onset of an emergency or disaster.
RISK The potential for harm or loss.
RISK ASSESSMENT/ANALYSIS The process of identifying and minimizing the exposures to certain threats which a organization may experience. SIMILAR TERMS: Risk assessment; impact assessment; corporate loss analysis; risk identification; exposure analysis; exposure assessment.
RISK MANAGEMENT The discipline which ensures that an organization does not assume an unacceptable level of risk.
RM Radiological Monitor
S   Back to top
SAR Search and Rescue
SARA Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act
SBA Small Business Administration
SCO State Coordinating Officer
SERC State Emergency Response Commission
SOPS Standard Operating Procedures
T   Back to top
THREAT Threats are the events that cause a risk to become a loss. Threats include natural phenomena such as storms, earthquakes, and floods as well as man-made incidents such as fire, sabotage, power failures, and bomb threats.
U   Back to top
UHF Ultra High Frequency
UNINTERRUPTIBLE POWER SUPPLY (UPS) A backup power supply with enough power to allow a safe and orderly shutdown of the central processing unit should there be a disruption or shutdown of electricity.
USAR Urban Search and Rescue
USCG United States Coast Guard
USDA United States Department of Agriculture
V   Back to top
VHF Very High Frequency
VULNERABILITY The degree to which people, property, resources, and commerce as well as environmental, social, and cultural activity are susceptible to harm or destruction.
W   Back to top
WAN Wide Area Network.
  Like a LAN, except that parts of a WAN are geographically dispersed, possible in different cities or even on different continents. Public carriers like the telephone company are included in most WANs; a very large one might have its own satellite stations or microwave towers.
WARM SITE An alternate processing site which is only partially equipped (As compared to Hot Site which is fully equipped).
WMD Weapons of Mass Destruction

Hit Counter

Home

For problems or questions regarding this web contact [rthorne@mecca911.org].
Last updated: 01/30/08.