Once you have conducted a risk assessment, prioritised records, and developed reaction and recovery strategies, you have the data and resources needed to compile your counter disaster plan.

Responsibility should be assigned for the implementation and ongoing maintenance of the plan, including distribution, testing and training.

The completed plan must be endorsed by your Chief Executive Officer and/or Senior Responsible Officer as they are responsible for compliance with the State Records Act 1998.

6.1 Implementation

For the plan to be implemented successfully, public offices will need to:

• involve relevant staff in the process of implementing the plan
• assign responsibility for the implementation and ongoing maintenance of the plan
• ensure that identified priority records are appropriately protected, and
• regularly practice and test the plan through training exercises.

6.2 Distribution and safe keeping

A counter disaster plan is a high risk document due to the information it contains. It must be securely stored but also readily accessible to authorised people in the event of a disaster.

Hard copies should be distributed to members of the counter disaster team with the requirement that they are stored securely, in case systems are also impacted by the disaster. Digital copies must be stored securely with appropriate access provisions.

To facilitate plan maintenance, it is important to monitor and track each hard copy of the plan. A distribution log (or electronic metadata) can be used as a record and control all copies of the counter disaster plan issued to various officers. Each authorised copy of the plan should contain a version identification number and the recipient should be recorded on the distribution log.

Each officer with a copy of the plan is responsible for the security and control of the document in accordance with organisational policies.

6.3 Testing

The counter disaster plan should be tested periodically to maintain awareness and ensure relevance. The objectives of testing include:

• revealing any flaws in the plan
• gaining feedback on any problems while implementing the plan
• training the disaster management team, and
• assessing mobilisation, assembly, and deployment of the disaster response team.

Reviews should be conducted after testing and after emergency situations to consider successes and failures, and how implementation procedures might be adjusted to work more effectively. Changes to the plan should be documented to show the history of plan development.

Public offices may also consider having their plan externally audited by a disaster management service provider.

6.4 Training

Disaster simulation allows participants to become acquainted with the counter disaster plan, their designated roles and task requirements.

Teams responsible for leading disaster responses should receive scenario training and do walk-throughs of disaster response procedures.

Disaster management training courses are commercially available. See the Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material (AICCM) for further information.

6.5 Maintenance

Plans must be maintained to accommodate change in order to remain effective. The need to review plans may arise from changes to operating conditions or external circumstances, such as:

• building locations or structural alterations
• priority records (i.e. new or removed functions, activities or risk requirements)
• equipment or systems
• personnel responsibilities (e.g. staff movements)
• procedures, or
• standards or best practice.

6.6 Responsibilities

Plan maintenance responsibilities should be clearly assigned and defined within the plan. Responsibilities may be divided among the counter disaster planning team members, branch/section heads, senior management, and internal auditors. It is also desirable to embed responsibilities into role descriptions.