ALLIANCE FOR RESPONSE NEWS BRIEF

May-June 2010

This bi-monthly newsletter is shared with local Alliance for Response Steering Committees to provide information and inspiration. Please share it with your listservs. You can find more details about the activities of all Alliance for Response networks here.

Greetings! We’re trying to beat the heat with some cool news on Alliance for Response activities. Thanks to all who participated in MayDay and continue to send us updates on Alliance for Response leadership and news on programs.

News from Alliance for Response networks:

Head of the Class Award this issue goes to Savannah Heritage Emergency Response (SHER), the group formally organized following the Savannah Alliance for Response Forum in December 2009. Just in time for hurricane season, SHER was invited to staff a workstation at the Chatham County Emergency Operations Center. Click here to view the SHER bylaws, committee structure, and new logo.

Alliance for Response Philadelphia met on May 20th at the Philadelphia Armory to discuss the response to the serious January 2010 fire in the building. Dennis Boylan, a former Armory Troop Captain, talked about the fire, the building’s ongoing recovery, and important lessons learned. Click here to read a full summary of the session.

Alliance for Response New York City has revamped its mission and goals and created two active committees: the Alliance for Response NYC Steering Committee and the Alliance for Response NYC Collections Committee. The steering committee will develop a series of programs to bring members together, and the collections committee will focus on developing a corps of trained collections professionals and educating emergency responders on the needs of collecting institutions. Click here for a summary of recent activities.

The June 17th meeting of Alliance for Response Pittsburgh included a presentation on crisis communications, a video on surveying your institution for preservation needs, and a building walk-through with a member of the Pittsburgh Fire Department. You can link to the meeting information here. We’ll have a fuller report in our next issue.

Ohio Alliance for Response met on April 15th, at the International Women’s Air and Space Museum in Cleveland, OH. At the meeting Ann Olszewski, Preservation Manager at the Cleveland Public Library, was chosen as the convener for the coming year. The next meeting is planned for October 18th. The 4/15 meeting minutes can be found here.

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The Heritage Emergency National Task Force is a partnership of 40 government agencies and national service organizations formed in 1995. An initiative of Heritage Preservation and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Task Force has helped to protect cultural heritage from the damaging effects of natural disasters and other emergencies. Find valuable disaster resources at the Task Force Web site, www.heritageemergency.org

Heritage Preservation is a national non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the cultural heritage of the United States. By identifying risks, developing innovative programs, and providing broad public access to expert advice, Heritage Preservation assists museums, libraries, archives, historic preservation and other organizations, as well as individuals, in caring for our endangered heritage.