Cisco has a multifaceted plan to respond consistently and effectively to any kind of event, from a local site emergency to a large-scale community disaster to a health pandemic. We conduct quarterly drills at each Cisco site so that response teams can test processes and new tools. Immediately following these drills, the teams hold debriefing sessions to identify areas for improvements. In June, our San Jose team also tested a mobile command vehicle, a large van outfitted with networking gear and emergency response supplies. In an actual emergency, this would function as a hub for emergency responders.

The new response structure was tested several times over the past year and proved to be effective in coordinating local response to the London terrorist bombings; the 7.6-magnitude earthquake that hit Pakistan, Afghanistan, and northern India; and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Gulf region of the United States.

Emergency Response Teams

• The Safety and Security Team is responsible for day-to-day monitoring of events that may adversely affect the well-being, safety, and security of employees, customers and stakeholders. These situations include fire alarms, crimes in progress, bomb threats, and suspicious odors. The team interacts directly with local fire and police departments to help ensure the safety of anyone at a Cisco location.
• The Theater Crisis Management Team responds to situations within a geographical region that pose threats to employees, property, critical business functions, customers, or the community. Threats could include events involving injuries to multiple employees, severe weather and earthquakes, power outages, and other crises affecting multiple buildings.
• The Corporate Crisis Management Team includes the Incident Command Team and the executive team. This team supports the geographical team in events where the impact to Cisco could extend beyond one theater or have an added risk of impact to Cisco's shareholder value. This team can mobilize cross-functional or corporatewide resources in response to an emergency. The executive team responds to larger events, which require decisions about facility closures and large-scale corporate financial issues.