The Business Network of Emergency Resources (BNET) announced today that their Corporate Emergency Access System (CEAS) is now available to property managers in the city of Philadelphia. The CEAS program is an emergency credentialing system now used in six Northeastern cities to help businesses mitigate the effects of a serious emergency by allowing priority access for critical employee cardholders through police lines. The CEAS program is being used by many of New York City's top property management companies as a means of getting key personnel back into their work-sites to begin restoration and recovery work following a serious emergency. The CEAS program was recently utilized following a major steam pipe explosion in Manhattan. Firms that use the program in New York can now take advantage of the same program for their properties in Philadelphia. BNET and city officials including the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management, Philadelphia Police Department and Center City District have worked diligently for the past five months to insure that plans are in place to use the program should it become necessary. "We have spent a great deal of energy to strengthen our partnerships with the business community. We view CEAS as one of the cornerstones of that relationship," said Mary Ann Marrocolo, deputy managing director of Philadelphia's Office of Emergency Management. The CEAS program has continued to gain popularity in the region for many reasons, primarily because it is offered to governments at no cost and with little back end administration responsibilities. Businesses fund the program through a per card fee, which is used by the non-for-profit BNET to administer the program. "This program is a win-win proposition for both governments and businesses alike," said Dr. Robert Leviton, president of BNET. "Following events like 9-11 and Katrina, governments have become more aware of the key relationship between business recovery and the overall recovery of a city or region; CEAS has become a vital link in that equation." Property management firms have used the program to credential essential personnel and service providers that would be necessary to restore systems required to sustain partial or full re-occupancy of the building. Many property managers have encouraged tenants to enroll in the program with the goal of creating a business resilient environment. CEAS has been used to attract new tenants and retain current ones, especially following the effects of a major disaster. "I think businesses have become very selective in where they choose to reside, not just for business reasons but for reasons related to risk mitigation," said Jeff Shaw of M&T Bank in Buffalo. "From the standpoint of business continuity it is a big selling point to know that our property management firm takes business recovery as seriously as we do." CEAS is currently available in New York City and Buffalo, N.Y., Boston and Cambridge, Mass., Stamford, Conn. and now Philadelphia, Penn. For those companies wishing to become CEAS users or for more information about the program, visit www.CEAS.com. Peter Picarillo is the executive director of BNET, New York, N.Y.