Boston, MA - The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in conjunction with the local Federal Executive Board (FEB), conducted a forum on emergency planning and preparedness at the Thomas P. O'Neill Jr. Federal building in Boston, Massachusetts. The session provided information on emergency planning and human resource flexibilities available to agencies for use in emergency situations and during major public events such as the national conventions scheduled for this summer in Boston and New York City.

"In light of the upcoming national conventions, Director Kay Coles James has directed senior staff at OPM's headquarters to work with closely with local FEBs and intensify federal team assistance to local agencies as they implement their emergency preparedness plans," OPM Associate Director Marta Brito Perez said. "The forums offer training and additional resources to supplement the already heightened measures being implemented on the local levels."

The training forums were designed to address specific needs identified in the OPM Workplace Security Survey. The survey, issued to agencies governmentwide and most recently in Boston, New York and Newark, assessed agencies' level of preparedness in case of natural or terrorist related emergencies. The Boston forum also served as a platform for agency representatives to have questions and concerns addressed by OPM officials.

The Boston session, the first field session, drew 49 individuals from 22 agencies (see list of agencies below). Similar forums have taken place in Washington D.C., and additional training is planned for New York on June 2, and again in Washington, DC on June 11. To date, including the Boston event, a total of 365 people have attended four seminars to reach a combined total of 88 agencies.

List of Participating Agencies:

• Defense Contract Audit Agency, Northeastern Region
• Defense Contract Management Agency, East
• Department of Agriculture
• Department of Army
• Department of Commerce
• Department of Education
• Department of Health and Human Services
• Department of Homeland Security
• Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Department of Labor
• Department of the Interior
• Department of Transportation
• Department of the Treasury
• Department of Veterans Affairs
• Federal Air Marshals Service
• General Services Administration
• National Archives and Records Administration
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• Office of Personnel Management
• Small Business Administration
• Social Security Administration
• U.S. Court of International Trade