What kind of meeting attracts conservators, insurance agents, meteorologists, librarians, FBI agents, and representatives from FEMA? An Alliance for Response forum!

The Heritage Emergency National Task Force’s new initiative is building partnerships between the stewards of cultural heritage and first responders. Each one-day program is tailored to help an emerging disaster response network become a successful model of cooperation.

The first forum was November 14 at the Dallas Museum of Art, under the leadership of Amigos Library Services. Speakers included F. Lawrence Oaks, Executive Director, Texas Historical Commission; museum security expert Wilbur C. Faulk; Gary Woodall and Bill Bunting, meteorologists from the National Weather Service; and representatives from FEMA and the local emergency management and insurance communities. A tour of the museum’s special collections and storage areas brought home what local treasures are at risk.

Participants were encouraged to evaluate the forum. One commented, “I have been to disaster preparedness workshops, but having the first responders here was tremendous.” Another attendee wrote, “What a wonderful conference! This was like receiving a college education in one day.”

Answers to the question “What new fact or idea will you take from this meeting to share with your colleagues?” ranged from “Develop relationships with local first responders and risk management personnel” to “Check your insurance policy!” to “The importance of our cultural treasures.”

One outcome of the Dallas forum was the development of the State of Texas Alliance for Response Team (START), which has scheduled its first regional meeting for February 6, 2004.

The second forum, held November 17 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, was developed by the Northeast Document Conservation Center, in cooperation with the MFA, Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, Vermont Museums & Galleries Alliance, Naval War College Library, and Fire Safety Network. Speakers represented a range of organizations, including FEMA, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, the Boston Public Library, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Presentations included “Our Community’s Historic and Cultural Assets,” “State and Local Risks: Preparedness and Response,” and “Joint Training Efforts.” In the afternoon, four breakout sessions were held: “Developing and disseminating information resources for the community,” “Incorporating cultural and historic resources in local plans,” “Building cultural heritage response and recovery teams,” and “Sharing resources: emergency supplies and trained personnel.” The forum concluded with a group discussion facilitated by Lawrence Reger, president of Heritage Preservation.

The Boston Public Library will host a follow-up meeting in January.

The last forum of the year, organized by the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC), OHIONET, and other members of the Ohio Preservation Council, took place at the Cincinnati Art Museum on December 12. The morning program featured presentations by Wes Boomgaarden, Preservation Officer of the Ohio State University Libraries, and Julie Page, Preservation Librarian at the University of California–San Diego and also training coordinator for the California Preservation Program. Both speakers urged cultural institutions to reach out to local responders, and they offered successful examples for local and regional planning, mutual aid agreements, and resource-sharing. An afternoon panel outlined disaster response protocols for various levels of government and sparked ideas for training and cooperative efforts with emergency management professionals. The panel included Edward Buikema, director of FEMA’s Region V Office; Greg Keller of the Ohio Emergency Management Agency; and J.R. Thomas, director of the Franklin County Emergency Management Agency and immediate past president of the International Association of Emergency Managers. Breakout sessions in the afternoon were organized by regions and gave participants an opportunity to assess local needs, identify regional resources, and define the next steps to take in building regional disaster response networks.

The forum was positively evaluated by attendees. Responses to the question "What significant insights or learnings will you take away from today's meeting?" included "Importance of cooperation within the conservation community and outside," "Regional networks can be effective and add value. Mitigation efforts need additional emphasis," and "…most important, that local [emergency management] offices are interested in hearing from me."

New York City will host a forum in 2004.

Heritage Preservation will release a report on the lessons learned from the four events. It is anticipated that the networks fostered by the forums will serve as models of cooperation for other communities.

For more information on Alliance for Response, visit www.heritageemergency.org.

To see previous Preservation Spotlights (formerly Preservation Projects of the Month), click here.

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