Responding to an emergency situation can involve an extremely broad range of options. Hopefully, the term "disaster" won't always be used in its strongest sense. It might mean a leaky pipe or a small hole in the roof. Unfortunately, we must be prepared for any severity of disaster, especially one where even human life could be in danger. In disaster situations, regardless of the circumstances, human life should always take precedence. Even though our collections are valuable, human safety is always the top priority. If there is any question about the safety of any given situation, do not proceed where it might involve harm to oneself or to another person. Wait for the police, the fire department, or medical personnel to arrive and work based on their informed judgment and assessment of the situation. Library and archival materials are never valuable enough to merit risking human life.

Contact the Relevant Personnel to Best Handle the Situation
Depending on the situation and its apparent gravity, use the EMERGENCY NUMBERS FORM ( Form 10 HTML, Form 10 PFD) and call the Police Department, the Fire Department, medical personnel, campus or building security, the insurance agent, and/or staff members to assist in the efforts.

After contacting the necessary authorities, the first step in the response effort is to identify and contact the person in charge of the stricken area, as well as to contact the members of the Disaster Team to inform them of the situation. These names and numbers should be listed on the EMERGENCY PHONE ROSTER (Form 11 HTML, Form 11 PDF). Following this, begin contacting volunteers as necessary.

Always keep phone lists nearby with emergency numbers in the area; preferably have frequently updated copies posted near each phone (and even at home).

Emergency Numbers
Form 10 (HTML printable format)
Form 10 (PDF fillable format)

Attached is a document for listing employees' home addresses and phone numbers. Organize it so that the disaster team personnel are to be informed first, and so that the word will be passed down the list to the relevant people -- resulting in an adequate pool of individuals to respond to even a large emergency situation.

Place some officially responsible individuals high up on the phone list, specifically the director of the institution or even those individuals to whom the director may report. Depending on the severity of the emergency, they need to be apprised of the situation, and such individuals are often the best to expedite responses where the authorization of emergency financial expenditures could be required and where the authority of rank may be necessary to cut through red tape quickly.

Emergency Phone Roster
Form 11 (HTML printable format)
Form 11 (PDF fillable format)

Volunteer List
Form 12 (HTML printable format)
Form 12 (PDF fillable format)

Activate the Plan
As soon as possible, refer to the disaster manual. In addition to copies held at the office, it is a good idea for certain staff to keep copies of the disaster manual handy at home, along with the EMERGENCY PHONE ROSTER (Form 11). Once the disaster manual has been acquired, circulate copies to those staff who are likely to be involved in a decision-making capacity.

Keep a Detailed Record of the Emergency
Before taking any action, it is recommended that the stricken area be photographed and damage documented for insurance purposes. This should be done before moving and altering anything in the disaster area. Depending on the institution's insurance policy, no action should be taken until a representative of the insurance company has inspected the site and conducted a survey of the damage (if deemed necessary by an insurance agent).

Record events as they happen and carefully note decisions made and actions taken. Document specific times, individuals who assisted in the effort, the amounts of emergency expenditures made (with receipts), and other such details. Photographs and/or a videotape of damage and response efforts can prove very useful. This information will prove invaluable once the emergency has passed and staff is trying to recreate and document the many steps involved in the recovery efforts. Also, they will be especially useful (if not essential) for insurance purposes.

Evacuation
Evacuate the building completely if a serious disaster occurs during work hours. Attempt to account for all employees, visitors, and other personnel after the evacuation is complete. In the evacuation plan, select a nearby landmark at which to meet for the purposes of conducting a roll call. In the event of a continuing or spreading emergency, evacuating and accounting for everyone will make dealing with the disaster much easier, as it will permit fire personnel to focus on fighting the fire instead of searching for missing individuals.

To ensure safety, a presiding authority must decide whether it is safe to enter or re-enter the facility. If a disaster occurs after working hours, wait for clearance from the presiding authority before entering the emergency site.

In either of these situations, control access to the facility for both personnel safety and the security of collections. The security of the collections may be compromised either because it is impossible to control access of people into the stricken area, or because it could prove difficult to provide a secure situation for materials once they have been evacuated. In the situation where human safety is in jeopardy, controlling access to the disaster area is even more important. Once emergency personnel have arrived and surveyed the scene, they will be better able to handle access to and from the scene.

Once hazards have been secured, consult with the presiding authorities and decide whether or not the disaster area is safe to enter. In Procedures for Salvage of Water-Damaged Library Materials, Peter Waters warns that a building severely damaged by fire may require a week (or even longer) to sufficiently cool before entering. After entering and surveying the damage, consult with administration and local safety authorities to decide whether or not the facility can remain open to the public; should it be closed or can work continue with just the disaster area restricted?

Eliminate Hazards
Once the situation has been assessed, eliminate whatever hazards are still present: for instance, in the case of a flood, turn off the power (and work with flashlights); in the case of a pipe leak, turn off the water. Only qualified personnel should perform these tasks. Untrained individuals trying to handle a situation may only make matters worse.

Setting Up a Command Post
Find a safe location adjacent to (but not in) the disaster site as a command post. If possible, already have a location near the institution selected for emergency use. This area should have at least one telephone available. The first order of business should be to call those individuals who have not yet been reached. The Command Post should be used for contacting and coordinating volunteers and communicating with vendors and other external parties. Information and orders for supplies should all come from this one central location.

Insure Communications During the Disaster
In a disaster situation, the clear exchange of information is imperative. Misinformation and conflicting information will result in confusion, which will in turn slow down reaction time to the disaster at hand. This lost time can be critical. Keep things as centralized and as focused as possible. Another important concept is to maintain continuous communication. If the disaster is large and there is significant coordination to be done, the use of walkie-talkies is a worthwhile consideration. In a smaller disaster situation this probably won't be necessary. In either case, however, it is important to have frequent "progress report" meetings with the various team leaders or supervisors to make certain that all involved understand what is happening with the response and recovery efforts.

Disseminating information is another crucial aspect of disaster response. Information intended for employees and other building occupants should be passed on by their supervisors, by department heads, or other such officials. Communication with emergency personnel should take place only with those in charge of the situation, i.e., the principal members of the Disaster Team or the ranking officers of the institution.

Relaying information to the news and press is a more complex issue. Once official decisions have been reached by the relevant personnel at the institution, and if this information seems worthwhile to the community in general, it is recommended that a designated spokesperson communicate with the press. Identify a liaison or official spokesperson for the institution before a disaster occurs. Prepare a statement about the disaster situation and have the spokesperson present it to representatives of the television, radio, and newspaper press. The benefits of this can be numerous:

1. The spokesperson can present the institution's version of the situation, and work to eliminate or discredit any misinformation about the emergency;
2. Reaching a large audience through the press can facilitate the recruiting of volunteers for the recovery effort; and
3. It can provide a means to request financial donations, through some type of emergency drive or fund-raising activity.

In Case of Fire:
In the event of a major fire, it is always safest to first activate a fire alarm, evacuate the building,
and then call the fire department rather than trying to put out the fire oneself.

One should attempt to put out a fire only after first sounding an alarm (or otherwise reporting it) and only if the fare is small and contained, and a fire extinguisher is in the immediate area. Otherwise, activate a fire alarm and evacuate the building immediately. Once safely outside of the building, contact the proper authorities.

Once on the phone, be ready to provide the following information:

• Name
• Phone number
• Nature of emergency
• Location of emergency (be as specific as possible and be prepared to give directions)
• Size and scope of the problem
• For fires, note any peculiar odors present
• Whether any personal dangers or injuries are present

Fire extinguishers come in different sizes but in three basic types:

The symbol "A" on extinguishers means it can be used for fires involving wood, paper, cloth, trash, and other ordinary combustibles.

The symbol "B" on extinguishers means it can be used for fires involving gasoline, greases, oil, paints, and other flammable liquids.

The symbol "C" on extinguishers means it can be used for fires involving live electrical equipment.

After a major fire has been successfully suppressed, shut off the main power supply and have the building inspected by the Fire Department and an electrician before proceeding.

In Case of Water Damage
As a general rule of thumb, most water damage is due to leaks, floods, and fire. Fire-related disasters are included here, since after a fire has been suppressed there are usually many water damaged, but salvageable, items.

1) Protect the materials: If the disaster is still active, immediately cover shelves and ranges of books with plastic sheeting. Stop the water, then remove books from scene as soon as possible.

2) Evaluate the damage: Approximately how many items are damaged? (For a quick estimate for books, multiply the number of shelves affected times 30 books per shelf.) What size area is affected? How bad is the damage? Of the damaged materials, which are the most important items to save? Note these details in writing.

3) Control the environment: If necessary, secure auxiliary power to accomplish the following:

• Reduce the temperature of the area and increase ventilation in order to decrease the humidity.
• Turn off heat, open doors and windows, and turn on air-conditioning.
  • Use dehumidifiers, if available.
  • In winter months, make sure to protect any exposed interior pipes from freezing.
• Use fans to increase air circulation.
• Remove standing water from the area as soon as possible.
       (Wet vacuums are available at Regional Supply Depots.)
• Get carpets as dry as possible; if feasible, remove the wet carpet from the disaster scene.
       (Carpets retain moisture and this increases the humidity in the area.)
• Leave fans on 24 hours a day until area and materials are completely dry.
• Use sling psychrometer to monitor temperature and relative humidity.
       (They are available at Regional Supply Depots.)

4) Locate a "Recovery Area" in which to move and handle damaged materials: a location that is well-lighted and has abundant table space for sorting, spreading out and drying materials. Spread plastic sheeting (or even paper if plastic is unavailable) over all of the table space so books do not come in actual contact with the surface of the table. Also, make sure the environment in this space is suitable: there should be very good air circulation (bring additional fans as necessary) and temperature and humidity control in this area

6) Remove damaged materials from the disaster area. When moving materials, it is imperative to minimize the handling of materials. Convey this important point to all staff and volunteers. Also, remind them that when in doubt about something, ask before acting. Other general rules to follow:

• Always handle materials carefully; wet paper is extremely fragile.
• Do not try to separate single-sheet material (maps, posters, and the like).
• Do not try to clean materials or squeeze water from them.
• Leave water-damaged books in the position they are found. (For instance, if a book is found open, do not force it closed as the swollen binding might rupture; likewise, do not try to flatten rolled-up materials.)
• Do not place materials on the floor, nor stack water-damaged items.
• Before setting books down on tables or books trucks, always spread out plastic sheeting (or freezer paper, or even newspaper). Wet books will adhere to the varnish and other coatings on wooden tables and book trucks.
• If dry items are also to be moved from the disaster site, they should be kept in a separate place from the wet materials.

Power Outage
In the event of a prolonged power failure, the facility should be evacuated in the best interests of
both the staff and patrons [see EVACUATION PLAN (Form 7 HTML, Form 7 PDF)]. Use flashlights or chemical lightsticks as necessary to assist in the evacuation, and remember to check for individuals trapped in elevators. Once the evacuation is complete, control access to the building and call facilities or maintenance personnel to handle the situation. In consultation with these professionals and with library administrators, decide whether or not normal operations have to be suspended.

Unfortunately, power outages also mean Heating, Ventilating, and Air-Conditioning (or HVAC) system failure. Prolonged HVAC problems during humid or rainy seasons can result in significant variations in interior environmental conditions. This can prove detrimental to library materials due to potential mold outbreaks. If a power outage continues for more than several hours and environmental conditions inside the institution begin to fluctuate, it is worthwhile to consider renting the necessary generator equipment to restore power. Normalizing conditions before the internal environment deteriorates too significantly can eliminate the serious threat of mold infestation in the collections.

Chemical Spills
Does the institution keep any hazardous (flammable or toxic) materials on-site? Examples of such chemicals could include photographic chemicals, cleaning supplies, or chemicals in a conservation lab. Make sure to identify their location and include it on the institutional map and floor plans.

In the case of a minor spill, work to contain the chemical and prevent any further spreading. Apply a spill control agent to absorb or neutralize the spilled chemical. To permit safe removal and disposal, the residue should be placed in a non-combustible container and disposed of by a recognized waste disposal agency.

On the EMERGENCY NUMBERS FORM (Form 10 HTML, Form 10 PDF), include the address and phone number of state and local environmental agencies, as well as for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Call these organizations for more specific advice and assistance in containing or cleaning up chemical spill.

Bomb Threats
If a bomb threat or other threatening call is received at an institution, it should be taken seriously. Do not ignore this potentially hazardous situation. While keeping the caller on the phone as long as possible, silently notify another staff member to contact the director of the institution as well as Security or the Police Department. The staff member who receives the call should remain calm and try to secure answers to the following questions:

Ask the following questions: When will the bomb explode? Where is the bomb? When was it planted? What does the bomb look like? What type of bomb is it? What is caller's name?

Note the following: Exact time of the call, and its duration. The exact words used by the caller. The explicit motive for the threat. The quality of the caller's voice:      Young or old? Male or female? Any accent?      Is it a familiar voice? Is caller intoxicated? Any specific background noises:      Traffic sounds? Other voices? Music?

Write down these descriptions and any demands made by the caller immediately after hanging up. The director of the institution must decide whether or not to evacuate the premises. Considerations should include:

• The accessibility of the building to actual intruders.
• The terminology used in the bomb threat.
• The time of day.
• An awareness of current events.
• The logistical problems of evacuation.
• The means by which the threat was communicated (by mail, hand delivery, or phone?)
• The advice of the police.

Continue On To Chapter 4: Disaster Recovery and Salvage

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