March 9, 2005—New York University (NYU) has created the International Center for Enterprise Preparedness, or InterCEP, the nation’s first academic center focused on private-sector crisis management and business continuity, the university says.
With initial funding provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the new center is charged with advancing an “all-hazards strategy” for businesses and other private sector organizations. The center’s staff will direct research and public education programs focusing on the best practices and means of preparing Americas private sector to protect its employees and minimize the impact of crises, whether natural or manmade.
Prominent among these efforts will be promoting ways to implement voluntary national preparedness guidelines from leading trade and professional associations including the NFPA 1600 “Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity” which has been designated an American National Standard by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and acknowledged by Congress, DHS and the 9/11 Commission.
InterCEP’s executive director is Bill Raisch, an expert in emergency management training and research, and an advisor to The 9/11 Commission.
The initial topics of research for the Center include: identifying and evolving business incentives in the areas of legal liability safeguards, insurance benefits and investment ratings that would reward voluntary compliance with the National Preparedness Standard; developing implementation resources including best practices and guidelines to assist private entities in their efforts to develop crisis management programs; and investigating how to promote better integration of emergency management communications between the private and public sectors.
For more on the program, visit the NYU Web site.
