An emergency response plan details the actions to take during an emergency, for example, a fire, flood or any other emergency which threatens the collection in some way.

An emergency response plan is essential for every archive to ensure that proper action is taken in the case of an emergency. The aim is to ensure that operations to salvage the archives are undertaken safely and that damage and long-term deterioration of the collection is reduced.

Many of the hazards posed to archives, and their impacts, can be mitigated or reduced by developing and implementing an emergency response plan. Your plan should include measures to respond to sudden or unexpected situations of varying size, and clearly detail what needs to be done, how, when and by whom.

Before preparing your emergency response plan, you need to carry out a risk assessment. You should identify the hazards and threats faced by your archive, and assess the risks according to likelihood of occurrence and the potential impact or consequence.

What could be included in your emergency response plan

At its very simplest an emergency response plan is a collection of contacts, instructions and guidance to support response activity.

Your plan should be easy to understand and accessible to anyone who needs to use it.

You could divide your emergency response plan into:

1. Risk reduction

Risk reduction checklists:
- External, e.g. gutters, drains, hydrant, lights etc
- Internal, e.g. pipes, stop valves, drains, fire detection, security systems etc

Staff awareness checklist, e.g. fire drill, fire extinguisher types, key control procedures
Staff training, e.g. emergency response, use of fire extinguishers, first aid, handling etc
Advisory and familiarisation visits, e.g. fire safety officer, fire station personnel, crime prevention officer

2. Emergency information

Contact lists of the:
- personnel responsible for salvage operations
- personnel responsible for media liaison
- service providers such as water, gas and electricity
- contracted services such as fire alarm company, insurers and specialist salvage response companies
- local services such as locksmith, plumber, glazier
- local facilities and sources of hire equipment such as freezers, vans, generators, pallets, emergency lighting and salvage materials and equipment
Site, building and floor plans
Salvage priorities
Grab sheets, procedures for the removal of archives
Location of emergency recovery kits
Location of temporary storage facilities and ‘first aid’ treatment of salvaged archives
Arrangements for the longer-term storage or treatment of damaged archives

Emergency Plan template

Templates for an emergency response plan

3. Emergency Response

Provides information on what to do when an emergency occurs. This could be general guidelines or specific steps to be taken to respond to each type of emergency. You will need to think about how you will organise your colleagues, what their roles are, responsibilities and tasks, and how to work with the emergency services. You should include how you will log incidents and record and track salvaged archives.

4. Guidance and reference documents

The guidance and reference documents provide information that you and your colleagues may need in responding to the emergency, for example, how to treat the paper archives, how to pack and dealing with mould.

You might like to laminate key documents in the plan. You may need to use them in a flood or in wet conditions.

You should share, test and update your emergency response plan regularly.

Checklist of basic salvage equipment

Personal Protective Equipment

Tyvek coveralls/Waterproofs

Goggles

Hi-Visibility vest/Identification tabard

Masks

Protective gloves

Safety boots

Safety helmets

Recovery and clean-up

Mop

Mop bucket

Wet/dry vacuum

Broom

Heavy duty rubbish bags

High absorbing sponges or boom

Dustpan & brush

Absorbent cloths

Bucket with wringer

Paper towels

Blotting paper

Bubble wrap

Tissue paper sheets

Cotton tying tape

Unprinted newsprint

Carrying crates

Protecting collections

Assorted sizes of polythene bags

Tarpaulin

Plastic sheeting

Fire blankets

Illumination

Windup torch

Head torch

Safety light sticks

Deflecting & Absorbing Water

Absorbent booms, barricades and/or strips

Absorbent cloths

Recording damage and note taking

Clipboards

Notepads

Pens

Pencils

Tyvek waterproof labels

Camera

Other Useful Items

First aid kit

Extension lead

Rope

Red/white barrier tape

String

Utility knife and blades

Screwdrivers

Hammer

Pliers

Scissors

Duct tape

Security tags

Storage boxes

Copy of the plan and any lists or documents

Fans and dehumidifiers

Image shows a worksurface with boxes of gloves, two electric fans, an extension lead, two clipboards, absorbent barriers a bucket and other items. *‘emergency kit.’ Image courtesy of National Library Scotland*

Image shows equipment in a tiled room including three large grey wet vacs. *‘Wet vacs’. Image courtesy of National Library Scotland*

It is often the case that items in emergency salvage kits are never used and are disposed of unused. You can make your emergency salvage kit more sustainable by:

ensuring that it contains only the materials and equipment needed for immediate response to an emergency. Additional items can be purchased at short notice from building suppliers, borrowed or hired.
using items made from recycled materials or which contain a percentage of recycled material such as buckets, mops, paper and PPE.
use rechargeable batteries and have a solar charger.
wash and reuse items where appropriate.
recycle used and out of date items.