Task Force Marks 10th Anniversary

The Heritage Emergency National Task Force marked its tenth anniversary at the American Institute of Architects in Washington, DC, on February 2, 2005. AIA Chief Operating Officer Jim Dinegar welcomed the group to the same room where the National Summit on Emergency Response convened in December 1994. The summit led to the formation of the Task Force early the following year.

Tom Mallon, Director of the Division of Preservation and Access, National Endowment for the Humanities

The Task Force is a partnership of 36 federal agencies and national service organizations co-sponsored by Heritage Preservation and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). David Maurstad, FEMA’s Acting Director for Mitigation, pledged his agency’s continued participation. Maurstad praised current Task Force efforts to work more closely with local communities “where the action is.”

Tom Mallon, the new director of preservation and access for the National Endowment for the Humanities, announced that NEH has awarded Heritage Preservation a grant to support development, production, and dissemination of a new Field Guide to Emergency Response. The Field Guide and its companion DVD will compliment the Emergency Response and Salvage Wheel and give step-by-step advice on tackling the most critical problems staff will face in an emergency. Dr. Mallon thanked the Task Force for developing the Wheel, which he has seen in many of the libraries, archives, and historical societies where he conducts research.

The continuing need for effective response was brought home by a compelling presentation about the new National Park Service Museum Emergency Response Team. Pam West, Director, NPS Museum Resource Center of the National Capital Area, and Robert Sonderman, Senior Staff Archeologist, described how the team was formed after Hurricane Isabel hit Jamestown in 2003. Just three weeks after completing their training, the team’s mettle was thoroughly tested by Hurricane Ivan, which swamped the Gulf Islands National Seashore last fall.

John Ketchum, Federal Preservation Officer, FEMA, and Larry Reger, President, Heritage Preservation

Their heroic efforts to stabilize and evacuate collections – despite water moccasins, spiders, and toxic mold – illustrated the hard work and skill necessary to rescue artifacts. The talk also highlighted the critical importance of both planning and good relationships with first responders.

John Ketchum, FEMA’s Federal Preservation Officer, announced several new initiatives for 2005. Heritage Preservation, in partnership with FEMA and the National Endowment for the Arts, has begun updating Resources for Recovery: Post-Disaster Aid for Cultural Institutions. The new version will include more Federal agencies and cover planning and mitigation resources. This summer FEMA will release a new guide to help local officials integrate historic and cultural resources into community mitigation plans. The agency will also sponsor a focus group at its Emergency Management Institute, which will explore a curriculum aimed at improving coordination between cultural stewards and emergency responders.

Pam West, Director, Museum Resource Center, and Robert Sonderman, Senior Staff Archeologist, National Park Service

Larry Reger, President of Heritage Preservation, welcomed two new member organizations to the Task Force—the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Two new Task Force working groups were proposed: one on historic properties and the other on distribution of information following hurricanes and other major events. Interest in international issues continues. Summaries of damage to cultural heritage by the Asian Tsunami can be found at

www.iccrom.org/eng/news/2005_en/various_en/01_0tsunami_en.htm.

The original idea to form a task force was proposed at the national summit in 1994 by Richard Krimm, then FEMA’s associate director for response and recovery. He advised the group to take on commitments with realistic goals, cautioning “don’t swallow the whale but take it one sardine at a time." Mr. Ketchum noted that the last decade has borne out that advice, as the Task Force has made steady progress toward its original goals.

The Emergency Response and Salvage Wheel, developed in 1996, is now available in five other languages with a sixth on the way. Other successful Task Force initiatives include Cataclysm and Challenge, Flood/Hurricane Packets, the “Train-the-Trainers” program, and public information projects. Most recently, Alliance for Response has broken new ground in bringing together cultural stewards and emergency responders.

Still, recent surveys confirm how few cultural institutions have up-to-date emergency plans. As one member noted, there will be plenty of work for the Task Force over the next 10 years.