Response ready: Emergency response planning for heritage institutions

Disclaimer

The information in this document is based on the current understanding of the issues presented. It does not necessarily apply in all situations, nor do any represented activities ensure complete protection as described. Although reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that the information is accurate and up to date, the publisher, Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI), does not provide any guarantee with respect to this information, nor does it assume any liability for any loss, claim or demand arising directly or indirectly from any use of or reliance upon the information. CCI does not endorse or make any representations about any products, services or materials detailed in this document or on external websites referenced in this document; these products, services or materials are, therefore, used at your own risk.

Collection-threatening emergencies can happen to any institution. An emergency plan can help staff respond effectively and reduce the impact on collections. Although emergencies can happen at any time, they are usually infrequent. Thus, it is easy for busy heritage professionals to postpone planning for them. The Canadian Conservation Institute has developed this resource to help heritage institutions complete an emergency plan, which is a core institutional document.

This resource contains a manual, ten worksheets and a customizable emergency plan template. These materials are used in the online workshop “Response Ready: Developing an Emergency Plan for Heritage Institutions,” which provides the opportunity to prepare or update an emergency plan in collaboration with peers and conservators.

Emergency Response Planning Manual

The Emergency Response Planning Manual is designed to guide heritage institutions through the process of developing an emergency plan from scratch or refining an existing plan. This general guidance will also assist with creating and training an emergency response team and with building up emergency resources.

Emergency response planning worksheets

The emergency response planning worksheets were designed to help heritage institutions with emergency planning and with customizing the Emergency Plan Template. Ten worksheets cover such topics as creating an incident management team, completing a simple emergency risk assessment and setting salvage priorities.

Emergency Plan Template

The Emergency Plan Template provides a first draft of an emergency plan for heritage institutions that are starting from scratch and a model for comparison if an existing plan will be updated.