Worksheet 9: Emergency Supplies and Equipment List

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.

Alternative format

Download a fillable version of Worksheet 9: Emergency Supplies and Equipment List as a PDF (PDF, 605 KB).

Introduction

The Emergency Response Planning Manual describes three steps that provide heritage institutions with a structured framework for ensuring they can access the resources needed for effective response to emergencies. This worksheet can be used to complete step 2 called “Source and stock supplies and equipment,” which will help you make an inventory of supplies and equipment to add to your emergency plan.

Instructions

Review the supplies and equipment tables in this worksheet. Determine which items could be useful during an emergency response for your collection. Choose those you will list in your emergency plan, those you already have and those you would like to stock specifically for emergency purposes. Write “Yes” or “No” for each item under the “List,” “Have” and “Stock” columns.

Aim to choose at least some items in each table for the list in your emergency plan, namely those items that will help you deal with more common, smaller emergencies like building leaks. Add supplies and equipment for major emergencies, like overland flood, if these were identified as high or extreme risks in Worksheet 4: Emergency Risk Assessment. You may wish to add other items that are easier for you to obtain for the functions suggested by the supplies and equipment categories.

Identify at least one supplier for each item that is chosen under “List” and record it in the right-hand column, “Suppliers.” We suggest using generic supplier categories, since more than one supplier may be used for some items and since suppliers may provide many types of supplies or equipment. Add each item that is chosen under “List” to a section devoted to supplies and equipment in your emergency plan. If you use the Emergency Plan Template, go to the “Emergency supplies and equipment” section, find the corresponding table with the same caption and enter the items there. Each table has already been populated with basic supplies and equipment that may be useful in most heritage institutions. Feel free to edit those entries to customize the lists to your needs.

For each item, record at least one supplier in your emergency plan. In the Emergency Plan Template, supplier categories are recorded in the tables of supplies and equipment. The contact details are listed once in a separate “List of suppliers” table in the “Suppliers of emergency supplies and equipment” section that follows the supplies and equipment tables.

Record the storage location of items that are chosen under “Have” and “Stock” in your emergency plan. The supplies and equipment tables in the Emergency Plan Template provide space for this in the right-hand columns, “Stock location.” The Emergency Plan Template includes tables for emergency kits and for general supplies and equipment that might be stored throughout the facility. Indicate the amount stocked for each item as a guide for replenishment when needed.

Worksheet example

The tables below give an example of what Worksheet 9 could look like when the four right-hand columns are filled in for basic supplies and equipment recommended for most heritage institutions, even those with limited budgets. These are the items already listed in the Emergency Plan Template. One or two supplier categories have been identified for each item, although more than two may be possible.

Once you have reviewed the example, download and complete the PDF of Worksheet 9.

Health and safety

Clothing and personal protective equipment
Category	Item	List	Have	Stock	Suppliers
Clothing	Aprons	No	No	No	N/A
Clothing	Chemical-resistant coveralls	No	No	No	N/A
Clothing	Coveralls or lab coats	No	No	No	N/A
Clothing	Disposable coveralls	Yes	No	No	Industrial supplies distributors Workwear suppliers
Clothing	High-visibility vests	No	No	No	N/A
Clothing	Parkas	No	No	No	N/A
Eye or face protection	Face shields	No	No	No	N/A
Eye or face protection	Goggles or glasses	No	No	No	N/A
Footwear	Rubber boots	No	No	No	N/A
Footwear	Rubber safety boots	No	No	No	N/A
Footwear	Safety shoes or boots	Yes	No	No	Industrial supplies distributors Workwear suppliers
Gloves	Disposable gloves (rubber, latex or nitrile)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Industrial supplies distributors Lab or medical equipment suppliers
Gloves	Heavy-duty work gloves	No	No	No	N/A
Gloves	Reusable chemical-resistant gloves	No	No	No	N/A
Headwear	Hard hats	No	No	No	N/A
Hearing protection	Earmuffs	No	No	No	N/A
Hearing protection	Earplugs	No	No	No	N/A
Lighting	Battery-operated head lamps	No	No	No	N/A
Respirators	Half- or full-face chemical cartridge respirators with N100 cartridges	No	No	No	N/A
Respirators	N95/100 disposable particulate respirators	Yes	No	Yes	Hardware stores
Respirators	Powered air-purifying respirators	No	No	No	N/A

First aid
Category	Item	List	Have	Stock	Suppliers
First aid and hygiene	Blankets	No	No	No	N/A
First aid and hygiene	Emergency rescue blankets	No	No	No	N/A
First aid and hygiene	First aid kit	Yes	Yes	Yes	Pharmacies
First aid and hygiene	Sanitizer or alcohol hand wipes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Pharmacies

Project management

Communication
Category	Item	List	Have	Stock	Suppliers
Communication devices	Battery-operated radio with extra batteries	Yes	No	No	Electronics stores Hardware stores
Communication devices	Cellular phones	Yes	Yes	Yes	Electronics stores
Communication devices	Walkie-talkies	No	No	No	N/A

Security and access control
Category	Item	List	Have	Stock	Suppliers
Badges	Identification cards	No	No	No	N/A
Barriers	Caution tape	Yes	No	No	Building materials suppliers Hardware stores
Barriers	Portable safety barriers	No	No	No	N/A
Barriers	Stanchions	Yes	Yes	Yes	N/A
Signs	Workplace safety signs	No	No	No	N/A
Tools	Door wedges	Yes	Yes	Yes	Hardware stores Industrial supplies distributors

Workspace
Category	Item	List	Have	Stock	Suppliers
Boards	Lumber	No	No	No	N/A
Boards	Wood sheets (plywood, hardboard, etc.)	No	No	No	N/A
Furniture	Benches or chairs	Yes	Yes	Yes	N/A
Furniture	Folding tables	Yes	No	No	Hardware stores Industrial supplies distributors
Furniture	Lab tables or benches	Yes	Yes	Yes	N/A
Shelter	Pop-up tent or canopy	No	No	No	N/A
Shelter	Shipping container	Yes	No	No	Storage or moving companies
Supports	Sawhorses	No	No	No	N/A
Tarps	Plastic tarps	Yes	No	No	Building materials suppliers Hardware stores
Tarps	Polyethylene sheeting	No	No	No	N/A
Toilet	Portable toilet	No	No	No	N/A

Protection and restoration of the building

Climate control and monitoring
Category	Item	List	Have	Stock	Suppliers
Climate control	Air movers	Yes	No	No	Disaster remediation companies
Climate control	Industrial dehumidifier	No	No	No	N/A
Climate control	Portable dehumidifiers and humidifiers	Yes	No	No	Disaster remediation companies Hardware stores
Climate control	Portable fans (table, floor)	Yes	No	No	Building materials suppliers Hardware stores
Climate control	Portable heater(s) or air conditioner(s)	No	No	No	N/A
Environmental monitoring	Data-loggers	Yes	Yes	Yes	Archival materials suppliers Lab or medical equipment suppliers
Environmental monitoring	Handheld hygro-thermometer	No	No	No	N/A
Environmental monitoring	Hygrometers	No	No	No	N/A
Environmental monitoring	Hygrothermographs	No	No	No	N/A

Hazard protection
Category	Item	List	Have	Stock	Suppliers
Barriers	Absorbent pads, pillows, socks	Yes	No	No	Disaster remediation companies Industrial supplies distributors
Barriers	Flood barriers	No	No	No	N/A
Barriers	Sandbags	No	No	No	N/A
Boards	Plywood	No	No	No	N/A
Plastic containers	Buckets	Yes	Yes	Yes	Hardware stores
Tarps	Plastic tarps	No	No	No	N/A
Tarps	Polyethylene sheeting	Yes	Yes	Yes	Building materials suppliers Hardware stores

Remediation
Category	Item	List	Have	Stock	Suppliers
Barriers	Zipper doors	No	No	No	N/A
Boards	Lumber	No	No	No	N/A
Boards	Plywood	No	No	No	N/A
Cleaning supplies	Brooms, mops or squeegees	Yes	Yes	Yes	Hardware stores
Cleaning supplies	Buckets	Yes	Yes	Yes	Hardware stores
Cleaning supplies	Disinfectant	No	No	No	N/A
Cleaning supplies	Soot or chemical sponges	Yes	No	No	Conservation materials suppliers Disaster remediation companies
Cleaning supplies	Wipes (rags, sponges, etc.)	Yes	No	No	Building materials suppliers Industrial supplies distributors
Garbage disposal	Dumpster	Yes	No	No	Specialty product suppliers
Garbage disposal	Garbage bins and bags	Yes	Yes	Yes	Hardware stores
Lighting	Flashlights (waterproof, spark-proof)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Hardware stores
Lighting	Jobsite lights (for example, Wobblelight)	No	No	No	N/A
Lighting	Portable lamps	No	No	No	N/A
Lighting	Trouble lights	No	No	No	N/A
Power	Extension cords (grounded)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Building materials suppliers Office supply stores
Power	Fuel generator	No	No	No	N/A
Power	Portable power station	No	No	No	N/A
Power	Solar-powered generator	No	No	No	N/A
Pumps	Portable pumps	No	No	No	N/A
Pumps	Sump pumps	Yes	No	No	Building materials suppliers
Signs	Wet floor cones	No	No	No	N/A
Tape	Gaffer tape	No	No	No	N/A
Tools	Ladders	Yes	Yes	Yes	Building materials suppliers Hardware stores
Tools	Shovels	No	No	No	N/A
Tools	Staple gun	No	No	No	N/A
Tools	Toolbox	Yes	Yes	Yes	Building materials suppliers Hardware stores
Vacuum	Industrial wet-dry vacuum cleaner	Yes	No	No	Building materials suppliers Industrial supplies distributors
Vacuum	Vacuum truck	No	No	No	N/A

Collections salvage and recovery

Protecting collections
Category	Item	List	Have	Stock	Suppliers
Barriers	Absorbent pads, pillows, socks	Yes	No	Yes	Disaster remediation companies Industrial supplies distributors
Plastic containers	Buckets	Yes	Yes	Yes	Hardware stores
Plastic sheeting	Polyethylene sheeting	Yes	Yes	Yes	Building materials suppliers Hardware stores
Supports	Pallets	No	No	No	N/A

Documenting collections
Category	Item	List	Have	Stock	Suppliers
Collections documentation	Collection database	Yes	Yes	Yes	Specialty product suppliers
Location tracking	Felt-tip, waterproof markers	Yes	Yes	Yes	Office supply stores
Location tracking	Laptop or computer	Yes	Yes	Yes	Electronics stores
Location tracking	Non-woven tags (for example, Tyvek)	No	No	No	N/A
Location tracking	Paper tags with string	Yes	Yes	Yes	Industrial supplies distributors Office supply stores
Location tracking	Polypropylene tag fasteners	No	No	No	N/A
Visual documentation	Camera (cell phone) and accessories	Yes	Yes	Yes	Electronics stores
Visual documentation	Camera, video	No	No	No	N/A
Written documentation	Clipboards	Yes	No	No	Office supply stores
Written documentation	Notebooks, waterproof or not	No	No	No	N/A
Written documentation	Paper pads	Yes	Yes	Yes	Office supply stores
Written documentation	Pens, pencils	Yes	Yes	Yes	Office supply stores

Packing and moving collections
Category	Item	List	Have	Stock	Suppliers
Bags	Garbage bags	Yes	Yes	Yes	Grocery stores Hardware stores
Bags	Resealable plastic bags	Yes	Yes	Yes	Grocery stores Hardware stores
Boards	Cardboard	No	No	No	N/A
Boards	Wood sheets (plywood, hardboard, etc.)	No	No	No	N/A
Boxes	Archival storage boxes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Archival materials suppliers
Boxes	Cardboard boxes	Yes	No	No	Moving supply stores Office supply stores
Boxes	Corrugated plastic boxes	No	No	No	N/A
Carts	A-frame carts	No	No	No	N/A
Carts	Book carts	No	No	No	N/A
Carts	Hand trucks	No	No	No	N/A
Carts	Padded or interlocking dollies	Yes	Yes	Yes	Industrial supplies distributors
Carts	Pallet truck	No	No	No	N/A
Carts	Platform or flatbed carts	No	No	No	N/A
Carts	Utility carts	Yes	Yes	Yes	Industrial supplies distributors
Clamps	Tarp clamps	No	No	No	N/A
Cushioning materials	Bubble wrap	Yes	Yes	Yes	Industrial supplies distributors Office supply stores
Cushioning materials	Foam planks	No	No	No	N/A
Cushioning materials	Thin polyethylene foam	No	No	No	N/A
Cutting tools	Utility knives and extra blades	Yes	Yes	Yes	Building materials suppliers Hardware stores
Non-wovens	Non-woven fabric (for example, Reemay, Tyvek)	No	No	No	N/A
Paper	Freezer, parchment or wax paper	No	No	No	N/A
Paper	Silicone release paper	No	No	No	N/A
Paper	Unprinted newsprint	Yes	No	No	Art supply stores Office supply stores
Plastic containers	Bread trays	No	No	No	N/A
Plastic containers	Crates	No	No	No	N/A
Plastic containers	Plastic storage bins and totes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Hardware stores
Plastic containers	Plastic trays	No	No	No	N/A
Plastic sheeting	Polyethylene sheeting	Yes	Yes	Yes	Building materials suppliers Hardware stores
Plastic sheeting	Stretch wrap	No	No	No	N/A
Supports	Lifting straps	No	No	No	N/A
Supports	Pallets	No	No	No	N/A
Tape	Flagging tape	No	No	No	N/A
Tape	Masking tape	No	No	No	N/A
Tape	Packing tape	Yes	Yes	Yes	Hardware stores Office supply stores
Tape	Tuck or sheathing tape	Yes	No	No	Building materials suppliers
Vehicle	Truck, van or car	Yes	No	No	Vehicle rental agencies

Buying time
Category	Item	List	Have	Stock	Suppliers
Pool	Kiddie or dog pool	No	No	No	N/A
Sub-zero storage	Chest or upright freezer	Yes	No	No	Household goods stores
Sub-zero storage	Freezer truck	Yes	No	No	Disaster remediation companies Specialty product suppliers
Sub-zero storage	Walk-in freezer storage	No	No	No	N/A
Vacuum sealer	Vacuum sealer and bags	No	No	No	N/A

Salvage cleaning
Category	Item	List	Have	Stock	Suppliers
Boards	Corrugated plastic sheets	Yes	No	No	Specialty product suppliers
Brushes	Artist’s paintbrushes	No	No	No	N/A
Brushes	Cleaning brushes	No	No	No	N/A
Brushes	Paintbrushes	Yes	No	No	Building materials suppliers Hardware stores
Chemicals	Ethanol or isopropanol alcohol	No	No	No	N/A
Chemicals	Neutral detergent	No	No	No	N/A
Fabrics	Microfleece (for example, Vellux blankets)	No	No	No	N/A
Non-wovens	Lint-free cotton wipes (for example, Webril wipes)	No	No	No	N/A
Non-wovens	Netting or tulle	No	No	No	N/A
Non-wovens	Non-woven fabric (for example, Reemay, Tyvek)	No	No	No	N/A
Plastic containers	Bottles	No	No	No	N/A
Plastic containers	Pitchers	No	No	No	N/A
Plastic containers	Plastic or photo trays	No	No	No	N/A
Plastic containers	Plastic storage bins and totes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Hardware stores
Sponges	Household sponges	Yes	Yes	Yes	Hardware stores
Sponges	Makeup sponges	No	No	No	N/A
Sponges	Soot or chemical sponges	Yes	No	No	Conservation materials suppliers Disaster remediation companies
Sprayers	Garden hoses and nozzles	No	No	No	N/A
Sprayers	Garden pump sprayers	Yes	No	No	Hardware stores
Sprayers	Pressure washer	No	No	No	N/A
Sprayers	Spray bottles	No	No	No	N/A
Supports	Plastic plumbing pipe	No	No	No	N/A
Supports	Platform saddles	No	No	No	N/A
Surface cleaning materials	Groom or stick molecular sponge	No	No	No	N/A
Surface cleaning materials	Ground eraser	No	No	No	N/A
Tarps	Plastic tarps	Yes	No	No	Building materials suppliers Hardware stores
Tarps	Tabletop tarps, with corner snaps	No	No	No	N/A
Vacuums	Mini vacuum cleaner	No	No	No	N/A
Vacuums	Vacuum cleaner with high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters	Yes	No	Yes	Specialty product suppliers
Water	Bottled water	No	No	No	N/A
Water	Tap water	No	Yes	No	N/A

Salvage drying
Category	Item	List	Have	Stock	Suppliers
Air movers	Fans (table, floor)	Yes	No	No	Hardware stores Disaster remediation companies
Air movers	Hair driers or hot air guns	No	No	No	N/A
Blankets	Household blankets	No	No	No	N/A
Blankets	Moving blankets	No	No	No	N/A
Boards	Cardboard	No	No	No	N/A
Boards	Corrugated plastic sheets	No	No	No	N/A
Boards	Foamboard	No	No	No	N/A
Boards	Matboard	No	No	No	N/A
Boards	Styrofoam	No	No	No	N/A
Boards	Wood sheets (for example, plywood, hardboard)	No	No	No	N/A
Clamps	Bar or C-Clamps	No	No	No	N/A
Clamps	Pipe clamps	No	No	No	N/A
Clamps	Plastic clothespins	No	No	No	N/A
Clamps	Plastic-coated paper clips	No	No	No	N/A
Cushioning materials	Backer rod	No	No	No	N/A
Cutting tools	Scissors	Yes	Yes	Yes	Office supply stores
Cutting tools	Straight edge	Yes	Yes	Yes	Office supply stores
Cutting tools	Utility knives and extra blades	Yes	Yes	Yes	Building materials suppliers Hardware stores
Freeze dryer	Vacuum freeze dryer	Yes	No	No	Disaster remediation companies Specialty product suppliers
Lines and cords	Braided nylon rope	No	No	No	N/A
Lines and cords	Drying rack	No	No	No	N/A
Lines and cords	Garment racks	No	No	No	N/A
Lines and cords	Hangers	No	No	No	N/A
Lines and cords	Polyethylene pipe insulation	No	No	No	N/A
Non-wovens	Cleanroom wipers (for example, TEK Wipe, Texwipe)	Yes	No	Yes	Industrial supplies distributors Lab or medical equipment suppliers
Non-wovens	Felts	No	No	No	N/A
Non-wovens	Netting or tulle	No	No	No	N/A
Non-wovens	Non-woven fabric (for example, Reemay, Tyvek)	No	No	No	N/A
Paper	Blotting paper	Yes	No	Yes	Archival materials suppliers Art supply stores
Paper	Paper towels	No	No	No	N/A
Paper	Unprinted newsprint	No	No	No	N/A
Paper	Zorbix	No	No	No	N/A
Plastic sheeting	Polyethylene sheeting	Yes	Yes	Yes	Building materials suppliers Hardware stores
Supports	Egg-crate diffuser	No	No	No	N/A
Supports	Plastic-coated screening	No	No	No	N/A
Supports	Plastic plumbing pipe	No	No	No	N/A
Supports	Sawhorses	No	No	No	N/A
Tape	Gaffer tape	No	No	No	N/A
Towels	Cotton terry cloth towels	No	No	No	N/A
Towels	Microfiber towels	Yes	No	No	Hardware stores
Vacuums	Wet-dry vacuum	No	No	No	N/A
Vacuum sealer	Vacuum sealer and bags	No	No	No	N/A
Weights	Bricks	No	No	No	N/A
Weights	Plastic bottles filled with lead shot, sand or water	No	No	No	N/A
Weights	Sandbags	No	No	No	N/A

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2026-08-28

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