Pennsylvania Code
Title 201 - RULES OF JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION
Chapter 19 - MISCELLANEOUS ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS
CONTINUITY OF OPERATIONS, EMERGENCY ACTIONS, EMERGENCY UNITS AND JUDICIAL SECURITY
Rule 1951 - Continuity of operations and emergency action plans

(1) The Court Administrator shall establish minimum standards and procedures for continuity of operations and emergency action plans. The standards shall include procedures for periodic review, including the procedures for conducting exercises to ensure the efficacy of the plan.

(2) The president judge has primary responsibility for planning for the continuity of operations in the event of an emergency, and for implementing such plans in his or her judicial district.

(1) Pursuant to the standards and procedures established by the Court Administrator in paragraph (a)(1), the president judge, in conjunction with the district court administrator, the local court security committee, and any other relevant individuals designated by the president judge shall, in consultation with county emergency service agencies and other governmental entities, develop a plan to provide for the continuity of court operations during and following the occurrence of an emergency.

(2) The continuity of operations plan shall provide for the continuation or immediate resumption of court business by the most expeditious and practical means possible, consistent with continuity of operations standards as established by the Court Administrator.

(3) The president judge shall be responsible for ensuring that the continuity of operations plan is accurate and updated as needed.

(4) On an annual basis, the president judge shall review the continuity of operations plan in consultation with the local court security committee and shall certify on a form prescribed by the Court Administrator that the review has taken place and that the plan is accurate and meets the requirements established by the Court Administrator.

(1) Pursuant to the standards and procedures established by the Court Administrator in paragraph (a)(1), in conjunction with the district court administrator, the local court security committee, county emergency service agencies, and any other relevant parties, the president judge shall develop an emergency action plan for each court facility located in the judicial district to use in response to, during, and immediately following the occurrence of an emergency.

(2) Within one year after the effective date of this paragraph, and on an annual basis thereafter, the president judge shall review the judicial district's emergency action plans in consultation with the local court security committee and shall certify in a form prescribed by the Court Administrator that the review has taken place, the plans meet the requirements established by the Court Administrator, and the relevant plans have been disseminated to all district court employees under the purview of the president judge.