By Homeland1 Staff
QUINCY, Mass. — NFPA has released a new version of NFPA 1600, “Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs.”
Major changes to technical requirements and definitions are included in the 2010 edition of the standard, which is available for download free via NFPA’s Web site.
The “Program Elements” section now contains four different chapters on planning, implementation, testing and exercises, and program improvement.
The standard was originally established to address preparations for, responses to, and recovery from disasters resulting from natural, human or technological events, according to NFPA.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has since adopted NFPA 1600 as the national preparedness standard, and has designated it for the Voluntary Private Sector Preparedness Accreditation and Certification Program.
“Disasters and emergencies are so unpredictable that organizations must always be prepared to manage them before they occur,” said James M. Shannon, president and CEO of NFPA.