With Guidance from
Emergency Management and
Preservation Professionals,
Small Museums Plan for Emergencies

During the REPP site walk-through, Ohio University’s Kennedy Museum of Art Registrar Jeffrey Carr (left) and Collections Assistant Deanna Cook (right), take a moment to examine the museum’s exterior for points of entry with Ohio University Fire Protection Engineer and REPP Assessor Bill Henestofel (middle). When did you last walk around the perimeter of your facility? Photo © Heritage Preservation

Fourteen museums in Mississippi, Ohio, and Texas have recently completed a pilot program that culminated in the development of emergency plans to protect the museums, their collections, and visitors. Through Heritage Preservation’s Risk Evaluation and Planning Program (REPP), staff at each museum worked with emergency management and preservation professionals to identify hazards at the facility, minimize risks, and then develop the emergency plan.

The pilot phase of the Risk Evaluation and Planning Program demonstrates that even in times of economic stress, small museums with limited resources can successfully protect their collections. With guidance from professionals and assessment tools developed for the project, REPP participants have made their museums more resilient. In addition to developing an effective emergency plan, each institution has built new relationships with local emergency managers and firefighters and taken steps to implement simple and cost-effective mitigation strategies.

Heritage Preservation undertook the pilot Risk Evaluation and Planning Program with a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). REPP addresses a national need identified in 2005 by the Heritage Health Index, a comprehensive study of the condition of U.S. collections in museums, libraries, and archives. The study, a project of Heritage Preservation in partnership with IMLS, found that 86% of small museums and historical societies do not have emergency plans that adequately protect collections.

Heritage Preservation is currently in the process of distilling lessons learned from the pilot, refining project materials, and exploring ways to implement this successful model.