Do One Thing for Emergency Preparedness!
Each year, archives, libraries, museums, and historic preservation organizations across America set aside May 1 to participate in MayDay, an initiative to protect cultural heritage from disasters. What can you do? Here are some ideas fro the Heritage Emergency » read more
Do One Thing for Emergency Preparedness!
Each year, archives, libraries, museums, and historic preservation organizations across America set aside May 1 to participate in MayDay, an initiative to protect cultural heritage from disasters. What can you do? Here are some ideas fro the Heritage Emergency National Task Force:
- If you have a disaster plan, dust it off and bring it up to date.
If you don't have a plan, make a timeline for developing one.
Get to know your local firefighters and police. Invite them to tour your institution and give pointers on safety and preparedness. A poster outlining tips for working with emergency responders is available from Heritage Preservation.
Identify the three biggest risks to your collection or building (such as leaking water pipe, heavy snow, or power failure) and outline steps to mitigate them.
Conduct a building evacuation drill and evaluate the results.
Update your staff contact information and create a wallet-size version of your emergency contact roster. See the Pocket Response Plan (PReP) at www.statearchivists.org/prepare/framework/prep.htm.
Eliminate hazards such as boxes and furniture in hallways, blocked fire exits, or improper storage of paints or solvents.
Join forces with nearby institutions and develop a protocol for helping each other in case of a disaster.
Identify and label priority collections and objects for evacuation during emergencies. Which are most important to your mission, irreplaceable, or most fragile?
Register for a free course to learn how your institution fits into existing emergency response protocols. A list is available at www.heritagepreservation.org/lessons/courses.html.
Learn more about MayDay from Heritage Preservation's news release. A text version and logos are available to use in newsletters and other publicity.
For more ideas and to see what other organizations are doing, visit http://www.heritagepreservation.org/programs/tflessons/MayDay.html, and visit RAP member websites!
To celebrate MayDay, Heritage Preservation is offering the award-winning Field Guide to Emergency Response and Emergency Response and Salvage Wheel at discount prices starting April 15. Go to the Heritage Preservation Bookstore at http://www.heritagepreservation.org/catalog/default.asp and look for SALE.
You can make a difference to help save our heritage!
