Washington State ACP Chapter

About

The Association of Contingency Planners is the nation's leading non-profit association, comprising professionals who are responsible for or have an interest in preventing disasters, planning to sustain business operations after a disaster and facilitating the resumption of normal business activities following a major disaster.

Members of ACP nationwide represent business, industry and government organizations at all levels. Included are executives, administrators, managers, directors, writers, legal staffs, accountants, engineers, sales-persons, records managers, archivists and many more professionals.

Our Mission: To promote a vibrant, professional, educational association to continually increase the state of contingency planning and disaster mitigation throughout the public and private sectors.

Our Vision: To be recognized throughout the industry as THE premier organization for contingency planners and business resumption professionals.

Our Goals are:

To promote greater awareness and understanding of contingency planning
To provide opportunities for member growth through training, information exchange, certification programs, career opportunities awareness and conferences,
To contribute to the advancement of state-of-the-art in contingency and business recovery planning,
To promote increased cooperation and participation in contingency planning between the public and private sectors,
To serve as a unifying force in defining and leading this rapidly evolving field, and
To render consistent, courteous, personal and responsive service to its members

Click on the link to read our Articles of Assocation for further details.

Click here for the Internationl Association of Contingency Planners website to learn more about our organization!

Code of Ethics

The following Code of Ethics adopted by the Association of Contingency Planners shall govern the conduct of all members, member representatives, and invited guests. It is understood that anything of a sensitive and/or propriety nature mentioned in ACP meetings, at ACP activities or written in ACP minutes or materials shall remain confidential and be handled as such.

All members and guest attendees, in conjunction or connection with any or all ACP activities shall:

Conduct themselves and their activities in a professional business manner.
Abide by the Corporate and Chapter charters, bylaws and policies of the ACP.
Properly register at all ACP meetings and activities.
Not engage in sales activities or solicitations.
Not conduct any other activity contrary to the purposes and objectives of the ACP.
Not distribute any materials or post displays of any kind at ACP activities without the prior approval of the Corporate Board of Directors and/or the Chapter Executive Committee.
Not engage in any form of personnel recruitment.
Not use the ACP name other than in the conduct of ACP business, as determined by the bylaws and/or the Board of Directors.
Be prohibited from the use of the ACP general membership list, mailing list or any subsets thereof, except for ACP business. Membership lists are not to be furnished to non-members without the written permission of the ACP Board of Directors. Members who fail to observe this policy will be subject to loss of membership.
Restrict the use of ACP proprietary documents to the use(s) defined by the policies and procedures of the ACP and/or the Board of Directors.
Not publicly disclose verbal or written information pertaining to ACP business without prior written approval of the Board of Directors.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I get out of ACP?

Membership in ACP offers several benefits, including:

Regular chapter meetings with professional presentations by experts on subjects selected by members,
Personal networking with other local ACP members,
Knowledge you can use to protect your family in the event of a disaster,
National networking with ACP subject matter experts in various emergency and contingency planning specialties,
Continuing Education Units granted through attendance at ACP Chapter meetings, training seminars and conferences,
ACP resources to help identify and transfer technologies useful in contingency planning,
Quarterly Association newsletter, The ACP Sentinel,
Major discounts on annual ACP International Symposiums, and
Recognition as a member of a professional, international organization.

What are the membership requirements?

Membership in the Association of Contingency Planners is open to anyone interested in contingency planning. Our members are primarily drawn from business and government organizations. Any number of individuals belonging to an organization is eligible for ACP membership. Members are accorded voting privileges in ACP affairs.

To ensure a high degree of professionalism, members are required to sign the ACP Code of Ethics (as detailed on the Membership Application) and agree to be bound by its provisions.

What is ACP attempting to accomplish?

ACP's Vision is to foster continued professional growth and development in effective contingency and business resumption planning.

Does ACP have a profit motive?

No. ACP is staffed by volunteers, and its 501C(6) tax code status designates it as a non-profit organization.

How does ACP relate to other disaster and emergency organizations?

ACP has formal partnerships with other organizations such as: American Red Cross, Association of State Flood Plain Managers, Central US Earthquake Consortium, Department of Justice, Electric Power Research Institute, Institute for Business and Home Safety, National Conference of State Legislatures, National Emergency Managers Association, and National Institute for Urban Research and Rescue.

ACP also works closely with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on Project Impact, the Department of Energy, the US Geological Survey, and the International City and County Managers Association

How large is ACP, and how long has it been around?

ACP currently has 17 chapters and more than 1000 members worldwide. It was formally organized as a non-profit organization in 1984.

How can I join ACP if there's no local chapter in my area?

You may join as an Unaffiliated General Member if you are located 50 or more miles from an ACP chapter. The ACP currently has more than 80 such members.

If enough interest exists in your area, you may want to start a local chapter. To initiate this process, access the ACP International web site and select Chapter Services.