> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.officeridge.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Plans and procedures

> Emergency plans, response procedures, disaster recovery targets, and continuity reviews.

These tabs hold what your agency will actually do when something goes wrong.

## Emergency Plans

Emergency preparedness plans with drill schedules and approval status.

**Columns:** Title · Type · Effective · Last Drill · Next Drill · Approval Status

**Last Drill** and **Next Drill** connect the plan to your drill cycle. A plan that has never been
drilled is untested.

These plans also appear in [Resources](/resources), where the wider agency can read them.

## Procedures

Emergency response procedures with review dates and approval status.

**Columns:** Name · Review · Approval

Procedures are the operational detail beneath a plan — who calls whom, in what order, using which
contact list.

<Warning>
  Procedures go stale faster than plans, because they name people and phone numbers. Review them on
  the **Review** date, and always after staff changes.
</Warning>

## Recovery Plans

Disaster recovery plans with RTO/RPO targets and plan types.

**Columns:** Name · Type · RTO · RPO

| Target  | What it means                                                              |
| ------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **RTO** | Recovery Time Objective — how quickly a system or service must be restored |
| **RPO** | Recovery Point Objective — how much data loss is acceptable                |

These targets are commitments. Setting an RTO of four hours means you have arrangements capable of
restoring within four hours.

<Warning>
  An RTO or RPO you cannot actually meet is worse than an honest one, because planning downstream
  assumes it. Test recovery against these targets rather than assuming them.
</Warning>

## Continuity Reviews

Business continuity plan reviews with dates and review outcomes.

**Columns:** Review Date · Status

Periodic confirmation that your continuity arrangements still work. This is where you catch an
expired contingency agreement or a recovery target that no longer holds.

## Writing an emergency plan

<Steps>
  <Step title="Identify the scenario">
    Hurricane, flood, extended power loss, systems failure, staffing collapse.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Write the plan and set its effective date">
    Cover how members will be contacted, prioritised, and reached.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Write the supporting procedures">
    With named roles and current contact details.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Route for approval">
    Set **Approval Status** once signed off.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Schedule a drill">
    Set **Next Drill**. An undrilled plan is untested. See [Drills](/emergency/drills).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Running a continuity review

<Steps>
  <Step title="Check every plan has been drilled">
    Compare **Last Drill** against your required frequency.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify procedures name current staff">
    Names and phone numbers, not roles alone.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Test recovery targets">
    Confirm RTO and RPO are achievable, not aspirational.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Check contingency agreements">
    Expiry dates and contacts. See [Continuity](/operations/continuity).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Record the review">
    Set the review date and outcome.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Troubleshooting

| Problem                            | What to check                                                          |
| ---------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| A plan shows unapproved            | **Approval Status** is unset. An unapproved plan is a draft.           |
| Last Drill is old or blank         | The plan has not been drilled. Schedule one.                           |
| A procedure names someone who left | Procedures need reviewing after every relevant staff change.           |
| We cannot meet our stated RTO      | Revise the target to something achievable, or change the arrangements. |

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Drills" icon="siren" href="/emergency/drills">
    Test the plans.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Readiness" icon="activity" href="/emergency/readiness">
    IT systems and weather monitoring.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>