Transcript COSTEP: A Statewide Approach to Area

COSTEP Massachusetts: An
Example of Statewide Preparedness
for Cultural Heritage Resources
Society of American Archivists
Austin Texas
August 15, 2009
Massachusetts Background
• Statewide Preservation Program at the MBLC since
1988. Worked on a number of disaster- related
initiatives since then with FEMA, MEMA, the MA,
and the NPS.
– Cultural Resources Disaster Planning and Mitigation Task
Force (1996-1999)
– Massachusetts Emergency Management Team (MEMT)
(1996- )
– Alliance for Response (2003)
– Cultural Emergency Management Team (CEMT) (20042009)
– Massachusetts Recovery Alliance (2008- )
COSTEP
• NEDCC received an IMLS grant to create a
statewide emergency preparedness a framework
for cultural resources
– To get cultural resources engaged in emergency
preparedness
– Encourage cultural resources to get into the emergency
response framework at the state, regional, local and
institutional levels
– Chose Massachusetts to serve as one of the initial pilot
projects partially because of the involvement with the
emergency management community over the previous
decade
COSTEP Massachusetts (Pilot Project)
• Spearheaded by MBLC and MA
• Began by working our way through the COSTEP
Framework with comments going back to the
project director
• Working with a large Advisory Group and a
smaller Steering Committee
• Logical step for COSTEP Massachusetts to work
closely with MEMA given past history of
cooperation between MEMA and MBLC
COSTEP Massachusetts (Pilot Project)
• The large Advisory Group is composed of
representatives of government agencies, private
non-profits, public and academic libraries and
archives, museums, emergency management
agencies (local, state, and federal), historical
societies, etc.
– Has met on a regular basis to move the process ahead
– Six committees were created to focus on specific
aspects of the process
COSTEP Massachusetts (Pilot Project)
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Hazards, Vulnerability and Mitigation
GIS and Planning
Content
Outreach
Training
Sustainability
Much of their work has focused on components
necessary to implement activities at the regional and
especially the local levels
COSTEP Massachusetts (Pilot Project)
• Developed a Cultural Resources Disaster
Information Form
– Two-page form to provide the EMDs critical
information about the municipality’s cultural resources’
collections, facilities, resources, and needs
– Distributed to cultural heritage institutions and to local
EMDs for inclusion in local CEMPs
COSTEP Massachusetts (Pilot Project)
• Creating a Command and Control structure that can
be implemented by municipalities to address
cultural resources needs and response to a disaster
at a local level
– Focusing on making the needs of these resources known
to the EMDs without overwhelming them
– Collaborative and cooperative effort at the municipal
level
COSTEP Massachusetts (Pilot Project)
COSTEP Massachusetts (Pilot Project)
• Developing pilot projects in a number of
communities to develop a more appropriate
mechanism for integrating cultural resources into
the local emergency management scheme
– Opportunities for cultural resources, EMDs, and town
officials to work together to prepare all organizations
for responding to a disaster.
– Chance to test the Command and Control structure
within municipalities
COSTEP Massachusetts (Pilot Project)
• Working with MEMA staff to create an Annex to
the state’s Comprehensive Emergency
Management Plan (CEMP) for cultural resources
– Would incorporate cultural resources into statewide
emergency planning rather than creating a parallel track
– Would make cultural resources much more visible in
the event of a disaster
– Would facilitate a more coordinated response effort at
the municipal and state level to the needs of cultural
resources during and following a disaster
COSTEP Massachusetts (Pilot Project)
• Coordinating activities with MEMA and FEMA in
using public libraries as Disaster Recovery
Centers (DRCs)
– Libraries are neutral sites, known to public, ADA
compliant, have meeting rooms, Internet connection,
parking, public access computers, knowledgeable staff
– Serving as a way to bring library directors and EMDs
together to begin to create a more comprehensive
disaster response team within the community
Conclusions
• Cultural heritage assets have been ignored for too
long when developing disaster plans, responding
to, and recovering from large-scale disasters
• It is crucial to align the disaster preparedness and
response needs with those of the state’s emergency
management community.
• It is crucial for the cultural heritage community to
familiarize itself with standard emergency
management protocols and language (e.g. ICS).
Conclusions
• COSTEP provides a framework to bring people
from state and local government and the cultural
heritage and emergency management communities
together to address the needs of the cultural
heritage community in the event of a disaster
• COSTEP is not a template but a flexible process
that can be adapted to different state situations
• COSTEP Massachusetts is a work in progress and
to succeed everyone’s participation is crucial.
Visit the wikis at:
http://statewideplan.pbworks.com
http://costepinma.pbwiki.com/
E-mail:
Gregor Trinkaus-Randall, Preservation Specialist, Massachusetts Board of Library
Commissioners
[email protected]
Michael Comeau, Assistant Archivist, Massachusetts Archives
[email protected]