Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, TOPOFF is designed to strengthen the nation's capacity to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks. More than 10,000 participants representing more than 200 federal, state, local, tribal, private sector, and international agencies participated in the week-long exercise.

Disaster scenarios were simulated in New Jersey, Connecticut, the United Kingdom, and Canada as part of the exercise.

DRI International Executive Director Tom Mawson participated in TOPOFF as a VIP observer.

Although some private-sector companies such as airlines participated in the exercise, DRI International Chairman John Copenhaver, former Regional Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, called on TOPOFF to include more private-sector representation in future exercises.

"Small businesses make up 85 percent of all business in the United States," Copenhaver observes. "They are the backbone of our economy. Millions of American families depend on their local business community for employment, services, and basic needs. When a disaster strikes, issues such as loss of power, loss of business days, and loss of goods and services to consumers affect business owners. When our businesses come to a halt, our communities come to a halt."

He cited a recent KPMG study on business continuity showing that 95 percent of companies are developing business continuity plans, and 25 percent have fully functional plans in place. The study also found that more than two-thirds of companies also exercise their plans at least once per year and are integrating them with public sector agencies.

"TOPOFF 3 would have been a great opportunity for selected businesses to participate and test their plans as part of this larger exercise," Copenhaver declared. "Businesses appreciate the need for integration of their planning efforts with the public sector. They understand that it does little good for their operation to be up and running if the infrastructure surrounding their business is damaged."

DRI International is a nonprofit organization that offers training and certification in business continuity. More than 3,000 people are currently certified through DRII. For more information, visit http://www.drii.org