Philadelphia Alliance for Response Builds Bridges
By Tom Clareson, PALINET
Philadelphia Fire Commissioner
Lloyd Ayers.
The Philadelphia Alliance for Response Forum, held June 13th at the College of Physicians, attracted nearly 90 cultural heritage professionals and emergency managers for a day of presentations and discussion on working together to prepare for and recover from disasters.
Joan Decker, Commissioner of Records for the City of Philadelphia and one of the chief planners of the meeting, introduced the event and the sponsors, including the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts (CCAHA), the Delaware Valley Archivists Group, the National Archives and Records Administration Mid-Atlantic Region, PALINET, the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries (PACSCL), and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC), as well as the City of Philadelphia and College of Physicians.
The audience was diverse as well, with representatives of a variety of museum types, libraries, archives, historical societies, local government, and commercial organizations with strong interests in the cultural community.
Decker focused on the “driving reasons” behind the event: the national attention on cultural heritage disasters following Hurricane Katrina, Philadelphia’s long-standing reputation as a “treasure trove of history,” the need to minimize the impact of future disasters, and the importance of providing “a wake-up call on disaster preparedness for local cultural institutions.”
A surprise guest, Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers, encouraged the audience in their efforts to protect cultural heritage and pledged the fire department's support.
Jane Long, Vice President for Emergency Programs at Heritage Preservation, discussed the spectrum of disaster planning and response tools developed by her organization, then gave attendees an overview of the national Alliance for Response initiative. The program has helped 14 communities and over 500 cultural heritage institutions in just over two years, and local disaster response networks, partnerships, and projects have resulted from each of the previous Forums.
One advantage Philadelphia has is a long-standing infrastructure of cooperating cultural heritage institutions. A panel presentation featuring three important groups gave attendees an overview of the rich quilt of assistance available in the area.
Derick Dreher, Tom Kaiden, and Kristen Froehlich.
Derick Dreher, Director of the Rosenbach Museum and Library, and the current Chair of the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries, discussed the many initiatives of PACSCL, including the group’s efforts to preserve cultural resources. Tom Kaiden, Chief Operating Officer of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, profiled a wide variety of programs for GPCA’s 330 members, including a Cultural Resource Directory, Online Job Bank, Phillyfunguide.com, and “Breakfast Club” Research Roundtables. Kristen Froehlich, Director of the Collection at the Atwater-Kent Museum of Philadelphia, representing the Museum Council of Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley, spoke of her organization’s history of professional development and networking for museums in the region.
At every Alliance for Response Forum held so far, the Emergency Responders’ Panel has been a highlight of the day, and that was certainly the case in Philadelphia. The top emergency professionals from across the city discussed new initiatives and trends in disaster preparedness and response.
Mary Ann Marrocolo, Deputy Managing Director, Emergency Management, City of Philadelphia, discussed “Incident Notification,” where cultural heritage institutions can be notified of disasters and evacuation routes within the city; identification of essential personnel for access to cultural sites after emergencies; and linking cultural heritage institutions to the City’s Emergency Operations Center. Marrocolo concluded by saying cultural heritage institutions were “a vital part of Philadelphia’s economy and vibrancy,” and that she wants the cultural community to be part of the important new ways the city is keeping its citizens and sites safe.
Lt. Michael Grant of the Fire Prevention Division, Philadelphia Fire Department, discussed “Shelter-in-Place.” This safety option comes into play when emergency evacuation from public places is inadvisable. Grant also recommended ways to enhance shelter facilities, such as closing windows and shutting down heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Captain Walt Smith, Commanding Officer, Homeland Security, Philadelphia Police Department, discussed the role of law enforcement in disaster response, and focused on workplace security for cultural institutions. He noted that most local Homeland Security offices will provide free risk assessments.
The final presenter on the “Emergency Management Perspective” panel, Karin Crawford, is Program Coordination Branch Chief of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region III National Preparedness Division. Crawford explained the declarations process at all levels of government. She closed with some important points about readiness, including the fact that people and institutions should “be prepared to help themselves for the first 72 hours after a disaster” while recovery efforts are being coordinated.
Julie Page, former Preservation Librarian with the University of California-San Diego Libraries, and now co-coordinator of the statewide California Preservation Program, spoke on developing disaster response and recovery networks. These groups provide emergency response training, centrally located caches of disaster supplies, and mutual aid agreements allowing staff from one library to help another institution during disaster recovery. Page also urged participants to work with VOADs, or Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters, which include the Red Cross, Salvation Army, and Volunteers of America.
Laura Hortz Stanton, Director of Preservation Services at CCAHA, and Douglas Miller, Historic Site Administrator at Pennsburg Manor, spoke of providing and utilizing local resources for disaster response. Hortz Stanton discussed the aid CCAHA can provide in assessing an institution’s disaster vulnerability, as well as telephone and on-site assistance and treatment. Miller talked about his organization as a model for cooperation and trust with local emergency responders.
Attendees and presenters split into three breakout sessions mid-afternoon. Joan Decker and Robert Cheetham of Avencia led a discussion of the use of G.I.S. (Geographic Information Systems) for mapping cultural institution locations and assisting in disaster response. Laura Hortz Stanton and Glenn Ruzicka, CCAHA’s Director of Conservation, provided further details on disaster salvage and recovery practices. Heritage Preservation’s Jane Long and Mary Rogers led discussions on building disaster planning relationships and priorities for future meetings of the Philadelphia Alliance Group.
Evaluations of the meeting showed that a majority of the respondents wanted to be involved in future Alliance activities. Most urgent among follow-up activities were developing or updating institutional disaster plans, and implementing a method to build a disaster network that would allow institutions to work together on disaster preparedness and response. A variety of training needs were also suggested.
The Forum was supported by Heritage Preservation through a grant from the Fidelity Foundation. Refreshments and a luncheon were sponsored by Munters Moisture Control.
The Philadelphia Alliance for Response Planning Committee is working on a variety of followup activities to the June 13 Forum, including a September meeting.