Pandemic Response Management Program

About the Program

Category: Risk and Emergency Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2021

The Pandemic Response Management Program was created in March of 2020 to prepare the Department of Permitting Services (DPS), a government agency composed of over 230 employees, to respond and adapt to the challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic health crisis. The program included the creation of an Incident Management Team that reviewed the departments needs in the areas of Administration & Personnel; Information Technology & Security; Operations & Training; and Maintenance & Supplies. A transformational leadership philosophy was adopted to focus onreplacing archaic inflexible business practices with a philosophy focused more on flexibility, response and the adaptability to modify its operations as the health crisis evolved. The outcomes of the Pandemic Response Management Program resulted in the departments transition from an office based to telework based operation. This included regular publications of internal bulletins to agency staff providing them information on Governor Executive Orders, an outreach campaign consisting of webinars presented to the general public providing information on changes to DPS services, enforcing social distancing and respiratory safety guidelines, maintaining continuity of operations. The program has successfully provided continuous inspection and service support to Montgomery County’s 1 million residents and the 27,000 employer establishments employing over 400,000 employees.