Over 100 persons from the public and private sectors participated in 5 regional meetings held throughout the State of Michigan; their collective expertise and personal experience became the resource for the development of the protocol presented in this publication. Under the protocol a "critical incident" is defined as "any event or situation that threatens people and/or their homes, businesses, or community." This protocol has five objectives: to create public and private sectors' understanding of their common goal to protect lives and property while sustaining continuity of community life; to encourage the public and private sector entities that may have engaged in the assessment and planning process in isolation to form cooperative partnerships; to assist those businesses and communities lacking emergency planning experience in the development of a joint emergency planning process; to develop an understanding of mutual or respective goals and understand how public and private resources can complement and support each other; and to serve as a resource for those engaged in the joint planning process. The protocol outlines lessons learned in establishing partnerships in advance so the event can be managed and resolved with minimum loss to the community. It also provides guidance for conducting individual and joint public/private evaluations of risk factors and understanding what business functions are critical to individual businesses and the community. Further, guidance is provided for developing joint public/private sector emergency plans, along with the identification and sharing of community resources in responding to disasters. Other topics addressed are the facilitation of business resumption and recovery, the development of training exercises, and the incorporation of mitigation of harm throughout the entire process while recognizing its significance in preventing a disaster and reducing its potential impact. 39 references, including Internet resources, a glossary, and appended supplementary aids