Washington, DC - Due to a high demand for emergency preparedness training and in response to the data collected from the Security of Federal Workplaces survey, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Kay Coles James will offer a seventh emergency preparedness forum to professionals at federal agencies, July 26, 2004 at the OPM headquarters in Washington D.C.

The forum is designed to help agencies focus on areas where the survey indicated the greatest room for improvement - planning for, executing and evaluating shelter-in-place and evacuation drills, as well as the use of telework for employees during an emergency.

"Since September 11^th, there is a new and heightened awareness of the need for agencies to plan and prepare for natural or man made emergencies," James said. "In the case of a national emergency, agency managers must stand ready to protect federal employees and continue business as usual without significant interruptions. These training sessions have been very beneficial to agencies and we appreciate the seriousness with which emergency and human resource managers have apprehended them."

Under the direction of Kay Coles James, OPM has made emergency preparedness of federal agency professionals a priority. Since October 2003, OPM has conducted six forums in Washington D.C., New York City and Boston to address agency's authorities upon closure of the Federal Government. The sessions also focused on the authority of agency heads to designate emergency personnel. A total of 605 individuals from 142 agencies and sub-agencies have attended these forums.

Participants for this session can register at register@opm.gov.

Our mission is to ensure the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce. OPM supports U.S. agencies with personnel services and policy leadership including staffing tools, guidance on labor-management relations and programs to improve work force performance.