Corporate Emergency Access System will Grant Employees Speedier Access to Restricted Areas Following a Crisis

Who: Christopher Thomaskutty, Baltimore City Deputy Mayor
Frederick Bealefeld, Baltimore City Police Commissioner
James Clack, Baltimore City Fire Chief
Robert Maloney, Baltimore City Director of Emergency Management
Kirby Fowler, President, Downtown Partnership of Baltimore
Peter Picarillo, BNet Executive Director

Where: 100 Light Street

When: November 18, 12:30 pm

What: Launch of new City-wide Emergency Program for Businesses

Baltimore City is introducing a new Corporate Emergency Access System (CEAS) to help minimize business loss in the event of a large-scale emergency. This innovative joint publicprivate partnership establishes a process enabling key employees to safely and more readily reenter cordoned-off areas – with approval from local law enforcement officials – following an emergency.

In the event of a fire, water main break, or other emergency, police and fire officials routinely close off surrounding areas as a precaution, even if these areas are not in imminent danger. Through CEAS, participating businesses will be able to pre-designate key personnel who will be allowed access to their company buildings inside safe areas of restricted zones during an emergency to maintain the core functions of the business. Companies must enroll in CEAS before an emergency occurs in order to obtain these secure identification cards.

By allowing emergency access, CEAS gives businesses the ability to rescue valuable assets often left behind in an emergency such as cash, checks and securities; retrieve vital records, hardware and critical equipment; stabilize and sustain core Information Technology systems; conduct damage assessments, and much more.

“Whether it’s a water main break or something more serious, the CEAS credentialing system gives stakeholders and business owners one less thing to worry about when there is an emergency,” said Kirby Fowler, President of the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore. BNet Executive Director Peter Picarillo says, “There is an integral relationship between business continuity and overall emergency preparedness. Baltimore City’s recognition of the CEAS will greatly enhance the resiliency of the region by ensuring its vital lifelines will survive a disaster.” Robert Maloney, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management added, “The CEAS will enable businesses to mitigate losses and recover quicker by facilitating access to their buildings. We must assist the private sector to maintain continuity of operations – the City depends on it.”

Baltimore City partnered with the Business Network of Emergency Resources (BNet), a not-forprofit company, to develop this program at the urging of the City’s business community. BNet has already helped to implement this program in cities and counties across New York, as well as Boston, Philadelphia and other areas in the North East. Co-sponsoring the program in Baltimore are the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore and the Association of Contingency Planners, Central Maryland Chapter.

Companies can enroll or find additional information www.ceas.com or on the Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management website at www.baltimorecity.gov/emergency.