Collection Emergency Management
Response and Recovery Plan
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Purpose
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2. Collection Emergency Response Fundamentals
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3. Defining the Emergency
2
4. Responding to Minor Emergencies
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- Emergency Alarms
- Small Leaks & Drips
- Problems with Locks & Doors
- Difficulty in Setting Alarms
- Power Failure
- Strange Smells
- Smelly, Mouldy or Otherwise Contaminated Collection Material
- Dehumidifiers or Other Air-Handling Units Not Working
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3
4
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5
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5. Responding to Major Emergencies
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Collection Emergency Response Teams
Collection Evacuations
Priority Material for Salvage & Treatment
Documentation of Collection Movement in an Emergency
Returning to Normal Business Operations
Post Emergency Assessment
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7
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APPENDICES
A:
B:
C:
D:
E:
F:
G:
H:
I:
J:
Emergency Contact Numbers
Collection Emergency Response Coordinators
Expanded NFSA Contact List
Continuity Management Team Contact List
Disaster Bin Contents
Collection Recovery Instruction Form
Collection Movement Documentation Form
General Guidelines for Responding to an Emergency Situation
Handling Instructions for Disaster-Affected Collection Material
NFSA Collection Site Locations
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12
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NFSA Collection Emergency Management
Response and Recovery Plan
1. PURPOSE
The purpose of the NFSA Collection Emergency Management Response and
Recovery Plan is to detail the procedure for response and recovery to an
emergency/incident involving collection material. It covers the emergency response
procedures, who to contact and includes basic handling procedures for damaged
collection works. It is intended primarily as an immediate first reference when an
incident or emergency occurs.
2. COLLECTION EMERGENCY RESPONSE FUNDAMENTALS
•
Human safety has precedence over protection and/or movement of the
collections.
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Emergency Services should be contacted (see: Appendix A) prior to other NFSA
staff should the situation warrant an immediate response, e.g. a major fire,
flood or severely injured person.
•
Emergency Services personnel are to be obeyed as they take legal authority in
an emergency.
•
The severity of the emergency needs to be assessed as either minor or major so
that the appropriate response and recovery action may be taken.
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All major emergency response and recovery actions related to Collection
material are to be coordinated and planned under the direction of one of the
Collection Emergency Coordinators (see: Appendix B). Staff are to contact
Collection Emergency Response Coordinators in the order listed.
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All incidents and actions relating to Collection material are to be fully
documented and reported to the Manager, Collection Management.
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Minor emergencies involving Collection material can be responded to by staff
on site under the direction of Collection Management supervisors.
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Collection material should only be moved when there is an unavoidable risk of
further damage or loss. All Collection movement is to be authorised and
supervised by the Collection Emergency Coordinators.
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Iconic works and Preservation category materials have priority over all other
Collection material when affected by an emergency.
•
Only the Collection Emergency Coordinator leading the emergency response
and recovery plan is to contact other key NFSA staff (see: Appendix C) as
required.
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Collection material is held across a number of sites (see: Appendix J).
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NFSA Collection Emergency Management
Response and Recovery Plan
3. DEFINING THE EMERGENCY
Collection emergencies take many different forms and the response taken needs to
be flexible according to the situation and location. Uncertain combinations of wet,
mouldy, burnt, smoke damaged or otherwise physically distorted collection material
can result on an unpredictable scale.
Generally there are two levels of emergencies that may occur:
A minor emergency:
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Is confined to a small area within a storage vault, such as a collapsed shelf
or a puddle on a small section of the floor.
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Can be managed within available staff resources.
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May only affect a limited amount of collection material.
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Can be contained using the supplies in a Disaster Bin (see: Appendix E).
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Does not involve hazardous substances or dangerous goods.
For minor emergencies, once human safety is assured, action may be taken
depending on the nature of the emergency as listed from pages 3-5.
In all cases, an on-site Collection Emergency Response Coordinator should be
informed and consulted with before action is taken.
A major emergency is:
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Spread across a large area in one or more vaults or locations.
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Is affecting a large volume of collection material.
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Will require extensive internal and/or external assistance to rectify.
Contact a Collection Emergency Response Coordinator as soon as possible after a
major emergency occurs and, if possible, isolate and secure the affected area to
prevent any further damage until a planned response can be implemented.
Do NOT rush in - damaged material can be made worse by unthinking actions. Every
emergency requires assessment, consultation, planning, prioritisation and action.
Do not move collection material unless directed to by a Collection Emergency
Response Coordinator. Basic guidelines for Collection Emergency Response
Coordinators can be found on pages 6-9.
Once human safety is assured, it is the duty of a Collection Emergency Coordinator,
in consultation with the Continuity Management Team (CMT) (see: Appendix D), to
develop an appropriate response to each individual event.
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NFSA Collection Emergency Management
Response and Recovery Plan
4. RESPONDING TO MINOR EMERGENCIES
This section details a possible response approach to a variety of emergency
situations. Please note these responses are designed to limit damage not recover
damaged material.
Any necessary maintenance work will be managed by the Manager, Collection
Management and coordinated between the Collection Facilities & Supply Officer
and the Facilities, Services & Security Team.
Emergency Alarms
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On hearing a fire alarm put in place standard evacuation procedures as per
those prepared by First 5 Minutes and posted in each area (usually on or near
exit doors).
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If safe to do so, a Fire Warden may ascertain where an alarm has been set off
and the nature of fire.
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Emergency services will attend the site.
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Always contact an on-site Collection Emergency Coordinator and advise the
Facilities, Services & Security Team, whether a real or a false alarm.
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If it is an intruder alarm, contact the Manager, Collection Management who
will evaluate the situation and advise the SNP Security when it is resolved.
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If there is evidence of intruders, contact SNP Security or the Police (as
appropriate), immediately and stay close by the Facility affected. Do not
enter the building unless it is safe to do so.
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There is a Duress alarm in the Mitchell Annex that will summon police
automatically and silently when pressed.
Small Water Leaks & Drips
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If the leak is not affecting collection material: take suitable measures to
prevent damage to nearby collection materials; use the nearest Disaster Bin
(plastic sheeting can be used to cover materials at risk; buckets can be used
to collect water etc.).
•
Determine exactly where the leak is coming from. If appropriate, turn the
water supply off at mains.
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If the leak is affecting collection material: contact, an on-site Collection
Emergency Coordinator and take appropriate action to divert and mop up
the water.
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NFSA Collection Emergency Management
Response and Recovery Plan
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Move collection material only if necessary to get it out of danger and make
sure the move is documented. Unless it is a minor situation, avoid handling
wet collection items until advice from a Conservator has been sought.
Problems with Doors and Locks
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If any doors or locks are stuck, broken, appear to have been tampered with,
or any windows are broken, contact an on-site Collection Emergency
Coordinator immediately.
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If urgent repairs are necessary, contact the Facilities duty officer. Otherwise,
lodge the problem as a Rusty and advise Manager, Collection Management
as to the issue if it is ongoing.
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Do not leave buildings unattended if perimeter locks or windows are broken.
Difficulty in Setting Alarms
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On leaving any of the Collection storage areas, arm the building in the
appropriate manner.
•
If the alarm can not be set, check that all doors within the facility are properly
closed. Refer to the table next to the alarm panel for the number of alarmed
doors and their location.
•
If the alarm still can’t be set, contact the Facilities duty officer and remain in
the building until they advise on action.
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If Facilities are not available, contact the SNP Security for assistance.
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Regardless of outcome, report the problem, location and outcome back to
an on-site Collection Emergency Coordinator as soon as possible.
Power Failure
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Contact the Facilities, Services & Security Team by phone if power is not
restored quickly.
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Switch off all computers in the affected work area to avoid a power surge
when the power is restored.
•
If safe to do so, check the appropriate electrical Switch Board
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Remember that torches are held in all Disaster Bins.
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Pay special attention over the next few hours that all air handling and
dehumidifying equipment is working properly in the affected area. It may be
necessary to reset this equipment if it does not restart automatically - contact
the Facilities, Services & Security Team in this instance.
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NFSA Collection Emergency Management
Response and Recovery Plan
Strange Smells
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Contact an on-site Collection Emergency Coordinator who will investigate
the cause by making sure that the air handling equipment is functioning
properly and check for pests or water leaks or for any collection material that
may be causing the problem.
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If the source cannot be ascertained the Manager, Collection Management
will liaise with Facilities, Services & Security Team to try to determine the
cause.
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If any work on the air handling or related equipment is required, the Manager,
Collection Management will raise a Rusty or contact the Facilities, Services &
Security Team directly.
Smelly, Mouldy or Otherwise Contaminated Collection Material
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If very smelly collection items are found it is important to take care and wear
protective clothing such as a mask and gloves. It may be necessary to
examine very smelly items in a fume cabinet - contact Conservation staff for
assistance if this is necessary. Do not sniff or directly handle contaminated
materials.
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Check if the items are deteriorating.
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Make sure the items are not wet.
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Isolate the items by storing them in plastic bags, sealing cans etc.
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Advise the Manager, Collection Management of the number of items,
location and the probable cause. They will then contact Conservation staff
as necessary.
Dehumidifiers or Other Air Handling Units Not Working
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Note the location and severity of the problem.
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Alert the facilities duty officer to the problem either by phone of via a Rusty
for non-urgent problems.
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Report problem immediately to an on-site Collection Emergency Coordinator.
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NFSA Collection Emergency Management
Response and Recovery Plan
5. RESPONDING TO A MAJOR EMERGENCY
The response to a major emergency must be coordinated by a Collection
Emergency Response Coordinator in consultation with the CMT.
It is the role of the Collection Emergency Coordinator first at the scene of an
emergency to:
1. Assess the emergency
2. Secure the affected area.
3. Brief the CMT of the nature and extent of the emergency
4. Contact other staff best suited, depending on the nature of the
emergency, to assist in the development of an Emergency Response Plan.
The Emergency Response Plan will prioritise collection material for recovery and
outline a systemic approach to removing material from affect areas to a secure,
stable environment for sorting, documentation and treatment.
The Emergency Response Coordinator, in consultation with the CMT, has
responsibility and full authority for developing the Emergency Response Plan and
executing it. This responsibility and authority persists until such time as any affected
sites are deemed able to return to normal business operations as outlined.
Once an Emergency Response Plan has been developed, the Collection
Emergency Coordinator will then:
1. Establish a Collection Emergency Recovery Command Post.
2. Obtain necessary supplies of materials, equipment, services and expertise
for salvage.
3. Arrange facilities for salvage workers including food and drink, rest facilities,
and protective clothing.
4. Contact and assemble appropriate staff into a Collection Emergency
Response Team.
5. Brief the staff on the Collection Emergency Response Plan and assign them
to roles (e.g. retrieval, sorting/salvage, documentation, treatment etc.).
6. Supervise the execution of the Collection Emergency Response Plan.
7. Maintain communications with the Senior Manager, Collection
Stewardship and the CMT.
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NFSA Collection Emergency Management
Response and Recovery Plan
8. Ensure the cause of the emergency is accurately reported on an
Incident/Accident report form and photographs are taken to document
the incident.
9. Begin planning for restoring areas affected by an emergency to service.
Collection Emergency Response Teams
When major emergency situations requiring the formation of a Collection
Emergency Recovery Team have been assessed and a Collection Emergency
Response Plan formulated, the Collection Emergency Coordinator will assemble a
Collection Emergency Response Team and brief them on their role in the
emergency response work either on site or at a designated location such as the
Collection Emergency Recovery Command Post.
The Collection Management Collection Services Team has a role in all Collection
emergencies, both minor and major. It is their primary function to ensure that
Collection material is moved and transported safely (see: Appendix H and I for
guidelines).
Staff from other areas will be involved depending on the nature of the emergency
(e.g. Preservation staff may be needed to deal with damaged Collection material,
Facilities staff with damaged building infrastructure.)
Response Teams will be provided with a Collection Recovery Instruction Form (see:
Appendix F) which includes general guidelines and instructions and space for
special notes depending on the nature of the emergency. Recovery Team Leaders
will be appointed by the Collection Emergency Response Coordinator.
Collection Evacuations
Collection material must not be evacuated from storage unless under direction from
a Collection Emergency Response Coordinator.
In the event that collection material is evacuated all movement of material should
be recorded by scanning the movements into Mediaflex, or if Mediaflex is
unavailable, by recording the movement on a Collection Movement
Documentation form (see: Appendix G).
Evacuation of collection material from any building increases the risk of exposing
items to:
• physical damage,
• loss,
• poor weather,
• theft.
All identified risks must be weighed against an unknown level of risk if collection
material is not evacuated.
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NFSA Collection Emergency Management
Response and Recovery Plan
The collection storage facilities and packaging should provide some protection
against water, smoke and fire damage. Always consider alternative actions rather
than evacuation to protect the collections if it is appropriate to do so.
Preemptive evacuation of collection material may be applicable where:
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there has been warning of a large flood,
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there is a major emergency, e.g. fire, burst water pipe in an adjacent building
etc.
In this situation, the decision to evacuate material will be authorised by the Senior
Manager, Collection Stewardship on recommendation of the Collection Emergency
Response Coordinator.
Priority Material for Salvage & Treatment
During an emergency which is affecting or has affected one of the storage facilities,
collection salvage priority is generally given to:
1. Iconic Works
2. Preservation category material
3. Material in formats requiring urgent attention depending on the nature of
the emergency (original materials with water soluble media, coated
papers, magnetic media, photographs, nitrate).
4. Duping category material.
5. Access category material.
6. Fire damaged material.
Where material is judged to be beyond cost effective recovery, the Collection
Emergency Coordinator should consult with the appropriate Senior Curator after the
emergency is over to decide on replacement or disposal.
Documentation of Collection Movement in an Emergency
One of the major risks the collection faces in an emergency is that of lost or
misplaced items. The movement of collection materials during emergency incidents
and at all stages of the emergency response and recovery procedures must be
documented.
Due to time constraints and quantity of material involved, documentation should be
brief but accurate. The purpose is to keep a record of what has been damaged
and where it has been located.
If the collection management database Mediaflex is available, all material
movements should be recorded as movements to the appropriate areas. It may not
be possible to move material to new shelving but in an emergency, movement to
the room level is acceptable.
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NFSA Collection Emergency Management
Response and Recovery Plan
If large volumes of material are being relocated, remember to regularly dock
scanning equipment to ensure the data limitations of the existing scanning
equipment are not breached.
If Mediaflex is unavailable, a Collection Movement Documentation Form (see:
Appendix G) must be used to record all movements. As soon as possible, this
information then needs to be entered into Mediaflex.
Returning to Normal Business Operations
Preservation and Technical Services staff will manage the treatment of damaged
collection material and will determine when items can be returned to storage.
The Manager, Collection Management coordinates the restoration of the affected
area(s) to working order in consultation with Facilities, Services & Security Team and
the Collection Storage Officer. Once the affected area(s) are restored to working
order collection material can be returned to storage.
Once these steps are in place, the Collection Emergency Response Coordinator in
charge of the recovery operations will recommend to the CMT that normal business
can resume.
Post Emergency Assessment
The Collection Emergency Response Coordinator in charge of recovery operations
will debrief Collection Emergency Response Teams and conduct a full-post
emergency assessment to:
1. Analyse the cause of the emergency and the outcome of all actions taken in
response to it.
2. Make changes to procedures where necessary.
3. Make changes to maintenance schedules where necessary.
4. Make changes to the Collection Emergency Response and Recovery Plan
where necessary.
This assessment will include a report in Minute form to the CMT detailing:
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the cause of the emergency,
number of items damaged, replaced, discarded, and repaired,
ongoing treatment costs,
staff time expended during the operation,
cost of restoring the affected area,
cost of equipment and supplies,
recommendations to alleviate future emergencies,
recommended changes to the Collection Emergency Management
Response Plan.
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