Risk Evaluation and Planning Program

Pilot Results

The effectiveness of the Risk Evaluation and Planning Program (REPP) was measured by responses to an evaluation form completed by the participating museums and assessors. The pilot demonstrated that a risk evaluation by a team of preservation and emergency professionals, guided by practical recommendations and selected resources, does lead to preparedness at participating institutions.

Meeting the Project Goals
The project aimed to increase knowledge, change behaviors, and provide skills associated with emergency preparedness. The project evaluation showed that participation in the Risk Evaluation and Planning Program:
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Increased staff knowledge of emergency preparedness concepts and practices. From the Emergency Awareness Assessors, REPP participants learned about local emergency management systems and where cultural heritage fits in the structure. From the Preservation Assessors, REPP participants learned how to protect high-priority collections and find good resources for planning and response.
Improved staff understanding of both the external and internal risks they face. During the site visit, REPP participants learned about local hazards and the type of damage they are likely to inflict. The site visits also revealed internal risks for staff, facilities, and collections. In the assessors’ report, risks were outlined and rated based on the likelihood of occurrence and potential damage.
Encouraged staff to continue interaction with emergency managers and first responders. Through REPP, participants initiated relationships with local emergency personnel, and many indicated they will continue the collaboration through projects such as fire extinguisher training and first responder family tours.
Inspired mitigation projects. During the site visit and in the risk evaluation report, assessors suggested mitigation steps to prevent or limit potential damage. Participants implemented many of the simple and low-cost ideas almost immediately, including raising collections storage off the floor, posting evacuation routes, labeling priority collections, and installing smoke and fire detection alarms.
Motivated museum staff to develop or update an emergency plan informed by the institution’s particular risks and needs. Assessors helped participants adapt existing planning resources and templates, like dPlan™ and the Pocket Response Plan™. Several participants developed multiple formats of the emergency plan for different audiences and uses.

Visit About REPP for more information about how the project was implemented.

Lessons Learned
Other lessons learned from the project evaluation and participant feedback confirm many long-held assumptions about cultural heritage and emergency management. Among the findings:
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Few cultural institutions are aware of the many natural and human-caused hazards that can damage facilities and collections. Institutions can become better informed by visiting the Web sites of local emergency management agencies and inviting local responders to conduct a risk evaluation.
Cultural institutions need a greater understanding of what resources and services emergency managers and first responders can provide. Heritage Preservation’s poster on working with emergency responders can help institutions take the initiative.
In general, emergency managers and first responders are not well-acquainted with the vulnerability of cultural institutions and collections. Once informed, however, they are often eager to help by sharing resources and guiding planning.
Even in times of economic stress, cultural heritage institutions can better protect people, collections, and facilities by implementing simple mitigation measures. Preservation and emergency professionals can provide recommendations; see also REPP Tools and Tips.
Factors such as budget, staff size, type of collections, governance, and geography do not seem to affect the ability of an institution to plan for disasters and mitigate risks.
Committed leadership, professional guidance, and participation in a formal program are important incentives for emergency planning.

The REPP Steps to Success for Emergency Planning

Developing an emergency plan is no small task. Cultural heritage institutions can achieve greater success in planning if they:

Take the important first step: conduct a risk evaluation to learn about likely hazards and potential resulting damage.
Make an institutional commitment to emergency planning and preparedness and provide administrative and financial support.
Involve preservation and emergency professionals from outside the institution in the planning process. Professionals can be especially valuable in helping institutions:
- understand risks and possible ways to mitigate them,
- learn about the local structure for emergency response, and
- make use of available templates, tools, and resources for planning.
Make hard and fast deadlines for achieving planning goals.
Understand that “having a plan” is not the end of preparedness; an emergency plan should be practiced and revised in a continuous cycle.

The Risk Evaluation and Planning Program was developed by Heritage Preservation and funded with a National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.