Cultural heritage Cultural heritage emergency preparedness emergency preparedness

and disaster planningand disaster planning

Leon SmetsLeon Smets

Project: Network appoach to security for collection managing

institutions/organisations in Flanders

About safety of people and premises …(sécurité)

..and security of the premises, collections, files and capital

assets

(protection)

Nivelles 1989 arson

Vienna, Kunsthistorisches MuseumVienna, Kunsthistorisches MuseumTheft with burglary May 2003Theft with burglary May 2003

Yorkshire, floodJune 2007

GalmaardenMay 2008

fire (arson?)

Tournai

February 2008 hold-up

Perpignan September 2007 looting

BourgesOctober 2008 fire (arson?)

Weimar, Anna-Amalia libraryWeimar, Anna-Amalia libraryroof repairs September 2004roof repairs September 2004

Dresden, ZwingerDresden, ZwingerFlood August 2002Flood August 2002

Iowa, Ice House Museumflood, June 2008

Steyl (Nl), Museum of the Civic GuardApril 2008 fire (arson)

Purpose of the effort for safety and security = proactive policy,

emphasized on prevention by:

• minimizing the vulnerability of the organisation, persons, premises, collections and files

• increasing (maximizing) the ability to prevent and protect

• raising emergency preparedness

calamity• A disastrous event and situation beyond one’s

control, whether or not sudden, due to technical defect, natural disaster, molestation or proces of decay

• On a local scale• Causing or leading to damage to building and

contents (heritage) and jeopardizing staff and visitors

• 2 sorts– incidents for witch we can try to be prepared for

(flood, arson, looting…)– exceptional catastrophe

Incidents

• Cultural heritage emergency preparedness and Cultural heritage emergency preparedness and disaster planning helps to avoid that an incident disaster planning helps to avoid that an incident grows into a small disaster or calamitygrows into a small disaster or calamity

• Importance of attention to incidents and near-Importance of attention to incidents and near-incidentsincidents

• Importance of reporting incidentsImportance of reporting incidents

How is the project organized?• Collaboration between municipal heritage unit

(organisation, coordinates), FARO (Flemish support facility, process support), external security expert (technical content and risk assessment) and municipal emergency services (police, fire brigade)

• Appeal and info meeting for heritage organisations and institutions (museums, archives, heritage libraries, churches …

• Two goals:– All participants must draw up and start to implement

an emergencyplan during the project– At the end they must continue in a network

Cultural heritage emergency Cultural heritage emergency preparedness and disaster planpreparedness and disaster plan

Consistent programme of working and informative meetings, personal supervision and customised recommandations

Prepares for potential calamity by:• Organisationscheme, engagementsystem and

warningsystem• Contains a.o

– lists of contact persons (internal, external)– addresses of suppliers, companies…– evacuation instructions– floorplans, escape routes, localisation of facilities– instructions first tidy up collections– list of priority collection items– emergency supplies– training plan

In a cultural heritage emergency In a cultural heritage emergency preparedness and disaster plan you’ll find preparedness and disaster plan you’ll find a.o.a.o.

• Liabilities, instructions and guidelines for aid to persons, preservation of building and company (loss, breakdown)(business emergency aid)

• Collection emergency aid

Purpose and necessity of the plan:

• to act well organised, prepared and appropriate in emergency situation

• to avoid consequential loss

• to gain time

• preventive effects when regularly brought up to date, attentive for security

Framework of network approach

• Agree on timing (9 months)

• 4 or 5 meetings, plenary sessions

• Visit security expert and local emergency services: risk assessment

• Last meeting focalized on networking

• Visit and adjusting by security expert

• Continuation of the network, thematic meetings (2-3 times/year) and workshops

Conditions to work out and implement emergency preparedness and disaster planemergency preparedness and disaster plan

• committment of directioncommittment of direction • clearly define objectives and tasks; clear

agreements with external (emergency) services• keep plan up to date• raise a team/teams and provide training (first

aid; object handling; emergency salvage water damage …)

• provide ressources• Diffuse the plan within the organisation• keep the plan up to date (addresses, phone

numbers, locations, staffmembers…)

Risk assessment

• 4 kinds of risks: natural causes; technical/mechanical defects; accidents; human behaviour/faults

• Assessment of potential risks. Probability x effect

• Every staff-member and co-worker has to be involved

• Denominate all possible kinds of risks, a.o:fire (day/night), burglary (day/night), theft

(internal/day/night), robbery, wilful damage, vandalism, flooding, technical risks ….

Some elements of the plan

• Crisis team (crisis manager ≠ director)• Liabilities, instructions and guidelines for aid to

persons, preservation of building and company (business emergency aid): security staffmembers

• Collection emergency aid: training (handling, evacuation…), alarm procedures, table top, arrangement temporary housing, …

• Contacts external services: – emergency services (procedures, exercises,

instructions, attainability…– Transport services, auxaliary companies, restorers

• How to react (general instructions, specifically per staff member and employee)

• How to evacuate (people, collections; co-ordination, arrangements; registration; transport; destination)

• List of priorities collection items• List and location of emergency materials• Networking: set up and maintain• Recovery plan after disaster

Effects

• More attention to safety and security• Involvement of direction and whole organisation• Written emergency preparedness and disaster

plan• Better and lasting relation with emergency

services• Thematic meetings and workshops > results• Joining of new members – heritage owners• Investment in prevention• Networking, motivating

Mechelen (Malines), collection emergency team

www.faronet.beleon.smets@faronet.be

www.museum-security.org