To date Northeast Security has raised over $5,000 for the American Red Cross's Disaster Relief Fund.

As the fall season progresses, one of the most prevalent issues for everyone is the H1N1 flu virus. We are inundated with information from the media about everything from precautionary measures and high-risk groups to vaccination plans. We receive daily updates about vaccine availability and clinics. To help sift through the information there are two Web sites that we believe you will find especially helpful.

The first is the Web site for the Boston Public Health Commission (www.bphc.org) and the second is the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (www.mass.gov).  The advantage over traditional sites such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) or the World Health Organization (WHO) is that the information is about local resources and current local level of the outbreak. The Boston Public Health Commission has established three levels to identify the current severity of the outbreak with specific recommendations for businesses to take at each level.

• Level 1: Small numbers of cases of H1N1 or ILI (influenza-like illness)
• Level 2: Significant numbers of cases or clusters of H1N1 or ILI and/or increasing severity of illness.
• Level 3: Widespread illness.

This is much more functional than the phase levels used by WHO because it depicts the status of the outbreak locally. I recommend that you check these Web sites frequently for updates.

One aspect of the H1N1 flu outbreak that doesn’t receive as much attention is the impact it will have on the ability of businesses to continue to operate. Aside from implementing the basic precautions listed at the above Web sites, it is important that companies incorporate a response procedure in their business continuity plans (BCP). Northeast Security previously developed just such a procedure for the potential avian flu pandemic. At the first sign of a potential outbreak of swine flu, we developed as much information as possible and updated our BCP with an H1N1 pandemic protocol. It is broken down into actions to be taken during the preparatory phase and implementation of ongoing operations during the actual outbreak. The same principles can and should be applied to all businesses.

During the preparatory phase we looked at issues such as access to anti-viral drugs for our employees, staffing, telecommuting, social distancing (both physical space changes and work schedule changes), and maintaining effective communications. The largest challenge was to plan for security officer staffing during the ongoing operations phase. To facilitate this, we took a number of actions including establishing lists of cross-trained officers at various sites and looking at guard consolidation if it should become necessary to staff at reduced levels. This might involve reduction of posts; limiting access and egress points; and combining duties normally filled by multiple officers. Since there will likely be a reduction in the number of tenants and guests entering the property during this time, these actions should not have a negative impact on site security. We continue to review, revise and update this protocol.

Hopefully, the ultimate impact of the outbreak will not be as significant as anticipated, but prudence tells us to plan for the worst and hope for the best. If you haven’t yet done so, now is the time to dust off your business continuity plans and ensure they contain a comprehensive plan to move forward through the challenge that is H1N1.

JAMES R. O’NEIL
Vice President of Operations
Northeast Security, Inc

According to a senior Airbus executive, business travel is expected to pick up in 2010 after many cutbacks during the recession, which limited travel budgets. Airbus COO John Leahy said recent signs show that business travel levels are improving as the economy improves.  "By this time next year, we will be seeing a good recovery in premium traffic,” said Leahy.  In 2010, corporate travel forecasts and hotel activity should continue to improve, according to travel management company Egencia. "Overall, we expect to see some year-over-year recovery of business travel in 2010 as economies stabilize around the world," Egencia president Rob Greyber said in the report. "The resulting demand coupled with suppliers maintaining capacity discipline is expected to push air prices higher in many business destinations."

American intelligence officials are becoming more concerned that Al Qaeda and linked groups may be planning smaller operations in the U.S. that would be much harder to detect and defend against. Two recent cases in Chicago and Denver have highlighted the new trend for smaller terrorist operations within the United States. In both cases, the defendants were long-time U.S. residents with community ties who traveled to Pakistan and trained with extremist groups linked to Al Qaeda. The Denver and Chicago cases also have authorities worried as they see a trend in more security conscious and tightly organized insurgents than those since 9/11.  Government counterterrorism analysts said it was significant that the Chicago and Denver cases involved plots that seem less ambitious than the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks or suspected plots of the past, like those aimed at Los Angeles International Airport or the Sears Tower in Chicago. Many intelligence officials figure that Al Qaeda first targeted large attacks with many casualties to help build credibility, but now are having a difficult time carrying out large plots due to improved security measures across the nation. 

Northeast Security wishes to recognize the personal and professional accomplishments of our colleagues.

CONGRATULATIONS!!

Carmen Fonseca on graduating from Northeastern University and her recent promotion to Account Manager!

Maxon Georges on his promotion to Account Manager!

Chuck Theall on his promotion to Director of Security!  

Jean Rosembert on becoming a new Dad!

Maykol Garcia on becoming a new Dad!