Who is BNet, and why are governments partnering with them?
Why don’t municipalities provide this service instead of BNet?
What are the costs associated with the CEAS Card?
Does the government profit from the CEAS program?
What types of companies currently participate in the CEAS program?
What type of employees would you recommend as CEAS cardholders?
What is involved in CEAS training and how long will it take?
How do you insure that CEAS cards don’t get into the wrong hands?
When can I use my CEAS card?
How will I know when CEAS is activated?
Who controls access and will they recognize my CEAS card?
What do I do if I present my card but the police officer denies me access?
Will my CEAS card guarantee access to my facility?
What is a Level C "Critical Industry" and do they have priority access?
What is a Flex Card and do I need to have one?
Many of my employees live outside of the CEAS jurisdiction. Will the CEAS card be valid in other states or counties?
How do I get my outside, service providers’ access using CEAS?
Who is responsible if a CEAS cardholder gets injured while in the restricted zone?
What is required of businesses participating in CEAS?
Why are only businesses allowed into this program and not residents?
Will the CEAS card be used for special events?
Q: Who is BNet, and why are governments partnering with them?
A: BNet was created as a result of the Joint Loss Reduction Partnership (JLRP) conducted in New York State and funded by FEMA. The study was conducted to determine the primary roadblocks to business recovery following a disaster. Re-entry to the workplace was determined to be the biggest obstacle to recovery. BNet Board of Directors and public-sector Advisory Board are comprised of volunteers from businesses and government agencies across the Northeast. These volunteers worked together to design a system that met the needs of businesses while maintaining appropriate controls for public safety. Our municipal partners have adopted CEAS because the system offers a cost-effective method to resolve the historic problem of controlling access into a restricted area.
Q: Why don’t municipalities provide this service instead of BNet?
A: System development, maintenance, administration, card production and oversight would be very costly to municipal governments in both a financial and human resource sense. BNet is better equipped to amortize system and program costs as well as maintenance costs across implementations in several cities and regions. BNET is one system that manages the numerous jurisdictions sharing its service. The program is 10 years old and defines what a true public/private partnership is while keeping government costs down.
Q: What are the costs associated with the CEAS Card?
A: Rather than charge a yearly fee to the participating companies, all costs associated with the program (cost of producing the cards, training, website, administration, IT development, etc.) are built into the cost of the cards. By allocating all program costs on a per-card basis, costs are distributed equitably, with small businesses paying a relatively small fee for their few employees and large organizations paying more, commensurate with their number of critical employees. CEAS is administered by BNet, which is a Type C Corporation under Section 501 of the NYS Not-for-Profit Corporation Law.
Q: Does the government profit from the CEAS program?
A: No. Government does not receive any profit from the CEAS program. Businesses are crucial to a community’s economic well-being. Municipalities are providing this tool for businesses to gain quicker access to their facilities to mitigate potential long-term damage and financial loss from a disaster.
Q: What types of companies currently participate in the CEAS program?
A. A diverse array of businesses currently participates in the CEAS program. Organizations from the financial services, insurance, commercial property management, pharmaceutical and bioresearch industries make up the majority of users; however, small and mid-sized companies also participate in the program.
Q: What type of employees would you recommend as CEAS cardholders?
A: First consider the people who protect and secure your assets following an emergency. There is no guarantee how long you will be allowed to remain in the restricted area. The situation may also not allow occupation of your workplace for a significant stretch of time as conditions may be prohibitive or deteriorate. Therefore, we suggest that you first consider your immediate needs for maintaining critical business processes and activities such as damage assessment, technology shutdowns, critical data and document removal, and physical protection and building restoration.
Q: What is involved in CEAS training and how long will it take?
CEAS training is a high level overview of the program intended is to allow the taker to gain a better understanding of the card and its intended uses. The training also offers some basic of emergency management concepts. It is provided in a PowerPoint format and requires 25 – 30 minutes to review the presentation and take a short quiz.
Q: How do you insure that CEAS cards don’t get into the wrong hands?
A: The card would not be of practical use to anyone with ill intent as it does not allow any form of access until after an event occurs and only then to the business that bought the card is issued to. BNet does confirm the legitimacy of the company; however, the onus is on the business to vet its employees' backgrounds and to insure that they are appropriate holders of the CEAS card.
Q: When can I use my CEAS card?
A: The card becomes a valid instrument of access only after the system has been officially activated by the Chief Elected official or their designee following an event within the municipality that results in restricted public access to an area. Even then, access is limited to those cardholders who work in or are assigned to the restricted area.
Q: How will I know when CEAS is activated?
A: Once activated by the Chief Elected Official or their designee, BNet will notify company coordinators directly of an activation in their community using Send Word Now. It is the responsibility of the company coordinator to notify individual cardholders within the company.
Q: Who controls access and will they recognize my CEAS card?
A: The local Police agency will control access at the site in most instances. They have developed written procedures to implement CEAS and to train officers to recognize the card. Keep in mind that access may still be limited or denied by the police at any time during activation due to changing conditions.
Q: What do I do if I present my card but the police officer denies me access?
A: CEAS cardholders will always comply with a police officer's decision to deny access, whatever the reason given. If during an official CEAS activation there appears to be confusion regarding enforcement of the system, comply with the police request and notify your company coordinator immediately. The coordinator will contact BNet directly to resolve to situation.
Q: Will my CEAS card guarantee access to my facility?
A: No. Even if CEAS is activated, access may be limited or denied at any time by the police due to changing conditions. The CEAS card only provides access past the police barrier; if you do not own your facility, your building's management may deny you access inside the facility. Although access is not guaranteed, CEAS offers your business the best potential for access during an emergency. BNet recommends that companies discuss access with their building managers in advance.
Q: What is a Level C "Critical Industry" and do they have priority access?
A: The designation of Level C critical industries allows firms from industries that are deemed part of the "national critical infrastructure" by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) priority access into a restricted area. Municipalities may also stipulate industries as Level C if they are deemed vital to the local economy. Municipalities may permit Level C cardholder’s access prior to Level B cardholders if deemed situation appropriate.
Q: What is a Flex Card and do I need to have one?
A: Flex Cards offer flexibility to companies that may have a spontaneous need to get employees, who have not been pre-assigned CEAS cards, into a restricted area. The Flex card, like the Standard is tied to a specific business and a specific location. However, unlike Standard cards are not tied to an individual, meaning that a Flex card can be assign to someone “on-the-fly” should a need arise. Many companies hold aside a number of Flex cards for this purpose or assign them to a service provider that becomes unexpectedly “critical” based on the circumstances of the emergency at hand. Flex Cards are issued on a limited basis and the holder must carry another form of positive ID.
Q: Many of my employees live outside of the CEAS jurisdiction. Will the CEAS card be valid in other states or counties?
A: Use of CEAS is established by written agreement between BNet and an authorizing municipality. Other municipalities may recognize the CEAS card when allowing traffic through their jurisdiction, but, without an agreement in place with a bordering municipality, travel restrictions may still apply. CEAS Plans include provisions for requesting adjoining jurisdictions to honor CEAS cardholders to pass through areas where travel restriction may be in place.
Q: How do I get my outside, service providers’ access using CEAS?
A: Your Company can sponsor employees from an outside firm that provides you vital services, under your total allocation of cards. This is typical when the service provider is a contract employee or the same individuals are assigned to work for your company on a regular basis. For service providers who assign various individuals as responders, the better option would be for the service provider to enroll in the program as an “Essential Service Provider” (see Guidance for Essential Service Providers at CEAS.com. A servicing company may also enroll in CEAS for its own business continuity purposes but may not use assigned personnel to service other customers.
Q: Who is responsible if a CEAS cardholder gets injured while in the restricted zone?
A: By participating in the CEAS program, companies agree to defend, indemnify, and hold the municipality and BNet harmless. Once CEAS has been activated, the final decision whether or not to send employees into the restricted area lies with the company. As such, the company takes full responsibility for their employee while using a CEAS card.
Q: What is required of businesses participating in CEAS?
A: Businesses must identify coordinators, who will be responsible to administer the program at the corporate level. Coordinators will screen and determine appropriate employees to apply for the CEAS card. They must also manage the distribution, collection, and turnover of CEAS cards, maintaining an accurate accounting of their employees. All cardholders must be trained using the BNet web-training tool. Businesses must also comply with specific requirements related to liability insurance coverage and indemnification as set forth by the City and BNet.
Q: Why are only businesses allowed into this program and not residents?
A: Businesses are allowed access on a small scale and for specific purposes. Residential recovery and repopulation will be handled separately by your municipal public safety agencies.
Q: Will the CEAS card be used for special events?
A: Currently there is no plan to use CEAS cards for general access during special events. If a large-scale emergency occurs during an event, there is the possibility that CEAS may be activated and used.
