Verizon Business is committed to effective response to natural and man-made disasters through its Business Continuity and Emergency Management organization which is chartered to carry out Verizon Business’ Core Business Continuity Values:
· Verizon Business recognizes and acknowledges that protection of its assets is a major responsibility of management and employees. These assets include its employees, its business products and services, its physical and tangible property, and its information systems and services resources.
· Verizon Business’s strategic plans are designed to incorporate proactive measures that minimize service interruptions.
· By implementing this comprehensive approach to business continuance, Verizon Business’s customers can be confident in the company’s ability to provide reliable service now and in the future.
With each successive exercise, storm, or emergency, Verizon Business strengthens its ability to effectively respond to and recover from business interruptions.
Emergency Management
Verizon Business manages emergencies and disasters using the National Incident Management System (NIMS), a government developed and endorsed emergency management process. NIMS was chosen based on its scalability, flexibility in adapting to incidents of any type, and 35 year history of successes in managing emergencies and disasters. In addition, use of NIMS by all levels of government means Verizon Business is able to quickly and efficiently integrate and coordinate emergency operations when engaged with government agencies and representatives.
National Emergency Coordinating Center (NECC)
In the Americas, Verizon Business manages emergencies and disasters through its National Emergency Coordinating Center (NECC) in Richardson, Texas. The NECC brings together executive leadership and representatives from numerous Verizon Business internal organizations to manage, coordinate, and integrate Verizon Business resources and personnel during disasters. The NECC enhances decision making by centralizing information collection and dissemination, develops and drives execution of recovery strategies, and supports resource needs through deployment of staged disaster recovery resources and vendor provided supplies and equipment.
At the local level, Verizon Business maintains several regional Emergency Response Teams (ERTs) of trained communications technicians who can respond anywhere in the Verizon Business network when a disaster strikes. The teams are available to be deployed on short notice to supplement local operations personnel in the recovery of communications equipment, transmission systems, and other network elements. In addition, Verizon Business maintains an industry-exclusive in-house, environmental response team. The Major Emergency Response Incident Team (MERITSM) is specially trained for rapid deployment to deal with hazardous materials emergencies involving or threatening Verizon Business’s employees, critical telecommunications facilities or infrastructure, or other company assets.
MERITSM
MERITSM is a team of Verizon Business employees with varying communications expertise, who have been trained in performing communications equipment and network repair functions in a hazardous material-contaminated environment.
This team of specialists has been trained under OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration) and NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) guidelines to protect Verizon Business personnel and assets during times of natural disaster or hazardous materials incidents.
Local Emergency Coordinating Center (LECC)
The LECC is a central point of contact to facilitate local communications, logistical support, and information dissemination to key local personnel and ERTs.
LECCs are strategically placed throughout the U.S. in support of Verizon Business’s US domestic operations.
Emergency Response Team (ERT)
The Emergency Response Team is a group of qualified personnel with varying disciplines who have been trained and are responsible for reacting positively to non-hazardous events that pose a threat to Verizon Business network operations.
ERTs have been deployed extensively throughout the geographic footprint of the Verizon Business network and provide an excellent supplement to the local workforce. These teams are capable of being deployed at a moment’s notice, delivering the job competency necessary to protect and restore the Verizon Business network in the shortest time possible.
ERTs are strategically placed throughout the US in support of Verizon Business’s US domestic operations.
Tools and Assets
Verizon Business has developed and implemented several tools and procedures that support both our early warning systems and risk assessment capabilities when it comes to severe weather conditions and natural events. Prior to the activation of Verizon Business’s National Emergency Coordinating Center (NECC), the Business Continuance & Emergency Management (BCEM) group is responsible for monitoring global weather conditions and performs this function 24x7x365.
BCEM utilizes Verizon Business’s in-house weather monitoring process “StormCon” that allows Verizon Business to leverage multiple sources of weather data to identify potential impact areas and conduct automated pre-storm risk reduction activities. These pre-storm activities help assure Verizon Business facilities and personnel are protected during the storm and restoration teams and equipment are staged, ready to respond to the affected area immediately after landfall.
Verizon Business also maintains an inventory of disaster recovery assets for immediate deployment to an event impacting the Verizon Business network. These resources, along with resources from key vendors, provide equipment, temporary shelters, generators, critical communication tools, and supplies necessary for the restoration and recovery of network elements, transmission systems, and customer premise equipment. Depending on the situation, some of this equipment is deployed in safe pre-staging areas throughout a region. and during a disaster, these resources and others are deployed as needed to any location throughout the United States in support of local recovery requirements.
During a disaster, Verizon Business can also use the resources of its Mobile Communications Command Center fleet. The mission of the fleet is to provide emergency communications and relief personnel for:
· Victims of natural and/or man-made disasters.
· Verizon Business and our corporate customers when a disaster strikes which affects business operations[1].
The Mobile Communications Command Center fleet consists of two 53' semi-trailers and a 40’ Prevost coach with a 25’ communications equipment trailer. Each vehicle has been converted into a state-of-the-art mobile communications facility offering both VoIP and Internet capabilities. The fleet can be deployed to either coast within 24 hours.
All of these teams, resources, and assets are maintained by Verizon Business at a level of readiness to respond quickly and efficiently in the event of a disaster. Verizon Business conducts regular training, holds disaster exercises, regularly maintains disaster recovery documentation, and performs preventative maintenance on all recovery assets and support tools to assure a high level of readiness.
Agency Relationships
Verizon Business participates in a number of government programs designed to enhance the ability of the government and critical infrastructure providers to respond to disasters cooperatively. Verizon Business maintains a permanent representative at the National Coordinating Center, actively contributes to identifying industry best practices via the National Reliability and Interoperability Council, and conducts joint exercises with the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Important Legal Information
This document is being provided for informational purposes only. This document is not part of any contract between Verizon Business and any of its customers. It does not modify, amend, supplement, or any way alter Verizon Business’s contractual obligations to any customer.
This document is not part of Verizon Business’s Service Publication and Price Guide or any tariff filed by Verizon Business or any of its affiliates. By providing this document to customers, Verizon Business is not representing or warranting that the information described herein meets the recipient’s needs or is otherwise in any way suited for the purpose for which it is being provided.
Verizon Business’s business continuity and emergency preparedness programs and activities are intended to better enable Verizon Business to respond to service-disrupting events generally. It is not intended to provide uninterrupted service or priority service restoration to any specific customer or class of customers. Customers in need of uninterrupted service or other back-up communications facilities are encouraged to contact their Verizon Business Account Representative to learn more about how Verizon Business products and services might meet their needs.
This document is Verizon Business Confidential Information.
[1] Verizon Business has priority use of the Mobile Communications Command Center fleet if needed.