Disaster Plan

Disaster Plan

Disaster Plan usually involves four phases :
1. Prevention
2. Preparedness
3. Response
4. Recovery

The following guide to producing a disaster plan outlines recommended action in all four phases, but prevention is the best protection against disaster, natural or man-made.

Phase 1 : Prevention
Identify and minimize the risks posed by the building, its equipment and fittings, and the natural hazards of the area.

• Carry out a building inspection and alter factors which constitute a potential hazard.
• Establish routine housekeeping and maintenance measures to withstand disaster in buildings and
surrounding areas.
• Install automatic fire detection and extinguishing systems, and water-sensing alarms.
• Take special precautions during unusual periods of increased risk, such as building renovation.
• Make special arrangements to ensure the safety of library or archival material when exhibited.
• Provide security copies of vital records such as collection inventories, and store these off-site.
• Protect computers and data through provision of uninterrupted power supply.
• Have comprehensive insurance for the library or archives, its contents, the cost of salvage operations, and potential replacement, re-binding and restoration of damaged materials.

Phase 2 : Preparedness
Getting ready to cope.

• Develop a written preparedness, response and recovery plan.
• Keep the plan up-to-date, and test it.
• Keep together supplies and equipment required in a disaster and maintain them.
• Establish and train an in-house disaster response team. Training in :
− disaster response techniques,
− identification and marking on floor-plans and enclosures of irreplaceable and important material for priority salvage.
• Prepare and keep an up-to-date set of documentation including :
− Building floor-plans, with locations of cut-off switches and valves.
− Inventory of holdings, with priorities for salvage marked on floor-plans.
− List of names, addresses, and home telephone numbers of personnel with emergency responsibilities.
− List of names, addresses, and home telephone numbers of the in-house disaster response team.
− List of names, addresses and home telephone numbers of trained conservators with experience in salvaging water-damaged materials, resource organisations, and other facilities able to offer support in the event of a disaster.
− List of disaster control services, in-house supplies and equipment, and in any central store, including locations and names of contacts with home telephone numbers.
− List of suppliers of services and sources of additional equipment and supplies, including names of contacts and home telephone numbers.
− Arrangements made to access freezing facilities.
− Arrangements for funding emergency needs.
− Copies of insurance policies.
− Salvage procedures.
• Distribute the plan and documentation to appropriate locations on- and off-site.
• Institute procedures to notify appropriate people of the disaster and assemble them rapidly.

Phase 3 : Response
When disaster strikes.

• Follow established emergency procedures for raising the alarm, evacuating personnel and making the disaster site safe
• Contact the leader of the disaster response team to direct and brief the trained salvage personnel
• When permission is given to re-enter the site, make a preliminary assessment of the extent of the damage, and the equipment, supplies and services required.
• Stabilize the environment to prevent the growth of mould.
• Photograph damaged materials for insurance claim purposes.
• Set up an area for recording and packing material which requires freezing, and an area for airdrying slightly wet material and other minor treatment.
• Transport water-damaged items to the nearest available freezing facility.

Phase 4 : Recovery
Getting back to normal.

• Establish a programme to restore both the disaster site and the damaged materials to a stable and usable condition.
• Determine priorities for restoration work and seek the advice of a conservator as to the best methods and options, and obtain cost estimates.
• Develop a phased conservation programme where large quantities of material are involved.
• Discard items not worth retaining, and replace or re-bind items not justifying special conservation treatment.
• Contact insurers.
• Clean and rehabilitate the disaster site.
• Replace treated material in the refurbished site.
• Analyse the disaster and improve the plan in the light of experience.
– Be prepared for any type of disaster. Contact and consult other libraries or archives and library or archives associations to share information and experience, and with a view to regional cooperation.
– Take advantage of educational sessions, particularly disaster planning workshops and preparedness exercises.