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About BICEPP
 
BICEPP's Mission:
To provide a forum for information exchange to enhance emergency preparedness and contingency planning within the business community.

 

For many years, emergency preparedness and contingency planning were thought of as a luxury. Corporations were reluctant to allocate the necessary time, staff or funds to prepare for the possibility of emergencies such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, or floods. Many chief executives mistakenly believed that the sheer size of a corporation would ensure survival.

It has become increasingly clear that government's primary responsibility is to restore basic public services before rendering assistance to the private sector. Direct aid to individual businesses was not on the priority list. As a result, it was recommended that the private sector be self sufficient for a minimum of three days.

In 1983, the mayor of Los Angeles and a group of business leaders met to discuss disaster preparedness. This group subsequently became a steering committee and formed the Business and Industry Council for Emergency Planning and Preparedness (BICEPP).

BICEPP was established as a private sector, self- help association funded by annual sponsorship donations. BICEPP later evolved into a non-profit corporation, lead by an Executive Committee and a Board of Directors. The goal remains the same: To provide a forum for information exchange to enhance emergency preparedness and contingency planning within the business community.
To achieve this mission BICEPP provides:
Educational opportunities. Events are specifically designed to promote and train the private sector in emergency management and preparedness planning. Events include seminars, workshops, webinars, tabletop exercises, and lectures intended to enable the private sector in developing and enhancing response and recovery operations.
Outreach via the Speaker’s Bureau. While the programs offered through BICEPP’s Speaker’s Bureau are applicable to all industries regardless of size or complexity, BICEPP prides itself in its outreach to small business owners. This is an area of the market that often does not have adequate resources to plan and prepare for disasters. BICEPP offers low cost programs that provide a wealth of industry knowledge and take home materials to help prepare and exercise business resumption plans.
Networking opportunities. BICEPP membership is comprised representatives from the public and private sectors, including multi-billion dollar corporations, small business owners and individual consultants. BICEPP events are well attended and provide the opportunity to network with colleagues, exchange ideas and information and foster relationships with other industry professionals.
A centralized repository. BICEPP members have access to a repository containing industry guidelines and standards and information on emergency response, crisis management, disaster planning and preparedness and business resumption. The resource library contains a multitude of books, manuals, pamphlets, articles, abstracts, and other reference materials. Collected over many years, the materials range from complex corporate disaster plans and government publications to basic individual preparedness information.