Back Up For Business

BUSINESSES in Oxfordshire are being offered a back up system to help them overcome a disaster.

They are being encouraged to sign up for a special text messaging service designed to help people overcome an emergency or disaster.
The City Alert Text System (CATS) is introducing the new service for businesses in Oxfordshire from July 11.

The system is already in operation for residents to give warnings, advice and updates if an emergency happens.
The aim is to help businesses recover as quickly as possible from a disaster. The new Civil Contingencies Act requires councils to promote so-called Business Continuity Management (BCM) within the business community.

John Kelly, Oxfordshire County Council?s Emergency Planning Officer, said: “So far we have held a meeting with OX1 in Oxford and plan to hold other meetings through Chambers of Commerce in other parts of the county during this year. This new channel on the CATS system will give business direct access to emergency information during a major incident and I hope a number take it up.”

Ray Jelf, the County Council?s Cabinet Member for Community Safety said: “This is a useful addition to the existing CATS messaging system for individuals. I trust that businesses will take advantage of the opportunity to join the system first introduced in Oxfordshire in 2003 as the first area covered in the UK.”