Northeast Document Conservation Center — Worksheet for Outlining a Disaster Plan

Resources

Preservation Leaflets

Click here to view a full list of available leaflets

emergency management
3.4 Worksheet for Outlining a Disaster Plan

Karen E. Brown
Field Service Representative
Northeast Document Conservation Center

A. Institutional Information

Name of institution ____________________________________________________

Date of completion ____________________________________________________

Date of next update of this form/plan ______________________________________

List all locations where this plan is on file (on and off premises)

_____________________________ _____________________________

_____________________________ _____________________________

_____________________________ _____________________________

_____________________________ _____________________________

Staff members to be called in case of disaster:
Position	Name	Home Phone	Specific Responsibility in Case of Disaster
Chief Administrator	___________________	__________	___________________
Disaster Recovery Team Leader	___________________	__________	___________________
Person in charge of building maintenance	___________________	__________	___________________
Cataloger/ Registrar	__________________	__________	___________________
Preservation Administrator/ Conservator	__________________	__________	___________________

In-house disaster recovery team members:

NAME	HOME PHONE
_____________________________	_____________________________
_____________________________	_____________________________
_____________________________	_____________________________
_____________________________	_____________________________

Who on the staff has a copy of this plan and is familiar with its contents?

_____________________________	_____________________________
_____________________________	_____________________________
_____________________________	_____________________________
_____________________________	_____________________________

B. Services Needed in an Emergency

Service	Company and/or Name of Contact	Phone #
In-house Security	______________________________________	________
Fire Department	______________________________________	________
Police or Sheriff	______________________________________	________
Ambulance	______________________________________	________
Civil Defense	______________________________________	________
Professional Advice/ Conservator	______________________________________	________
Insurance Company	______________________________________	________
Freezer	______________________________________	________
Freeze-dry Service	______________________________________	________
Document Recovery/Salvage	______________________________________	________
Computer Records Recovery/Salvage	______________________________________	________
Microfilm Recovery/Salvage	______________________________________	________
Videotape Recovery/Salvage	______________________________________	________
Computer Emergency	______________________________________	________
Legal Advisor	______________________________________	________
Electrician	______________________________________	________
Plumber	______________________________________	________
Carpenter	______________________________________	________
Exterminator	______________________________________	________
Fumigation Service	______________________________________	________
Locksmith	______________________________________	________
Utility Companies
Electric Gas Telephone Water	______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________	________ ________ ________ ________
Architect or Builder	______________________________________	________
Janitorial Service	______________________________________	________
Glass Company	______________________________________	________
Photographer	______________________________________	________
Other	______________________________________	________

C. In-house Emergency Equipment

(List locations and attach floor plans with locations labeled)

1.	Keys	_______________________________
2.	Main Utilities
	a) Main electrical cut-off switch	_______________________________
	b) Main water shut-off valve	_______________________________
	c) Main gas shut-off	_______________________________
3.	Sprinkler system	_______________________________
4.	Heating/cooling system	_______________________________
5.	Fire extinguishers
	a) Wood, paper, combustible (Type A)	_______________________________
	b) Gasoline and flammable liquid (Type B)	_______________________________
	c) Electrical (Type C)	_______________________________
	d) All routine types of fire (Type ABC)	_______________________________
6.	Master fire alarm (pull box)	_______________________________
7.	Smoke and heat detectors	_______________________________
8.	Cellular telephone	_______________________________
9.	Portable pump	_______________________________
10.	Extension cords (50 ft., grounded)	_______________________________
11.	Flashlights	_______________________________
12.	Camera with film	_______________________________
13.	Battery operated radio	_______________________________
14.	Tool kit (crowbar, hammer, pliers, screwdriver)	_______________________________
15.	Brooms and dustpans	_______________________________
16.	Mop, bucket, sponges	_______________________________
17.	Wet-vacuum	_______________________________
18.	Metal book trucks	_______________________________
19.	Portable folding tables	_______________________________
20.	Portable fans	_______________________________
21.	Protective masks/glasses	_______________________________
22.	Hard hats	_______________________________
23.	Rubber boots	_______________________________
24.	Rubber or plastic aprons	_______________________________
25.	Gloves (leather, rubber)	_______________________________
26.	Drying space	_______________________________

D. In-house Emergency Supplies

(List locations and attach floor plans with locations labeled)

27.	First aid kit	_______________________________
28.	Heavy plastic sheeting (with scissors and tape)	_______________________________
29.	Paper towel supply	_______________________________
30.	Plastic garbage bags	_______________________________
31.	Polyethylene bags (various sizes)	_______________________________
32.	Waxed or freezer paper	_______________________________
33.	Absorbent paper (blank newsprint, blotter, etc.)	_______________________________
34.	Dry chemical sponges (for removing soot)	_______________________________
35.	Clipboards (also paper pads, pencils, waterproof pens, large self-adhesive labels)	_______________________________
36.	Emergency funds
	a) cash	_______________________________
	b) purchase orders	_______________________________
	c) institutional credit cards	_______________________________

Are all staff familiar (by tour, not map) with location of a copy of this plan, the location and use of numbers 1-36 above, thermostats, regular exits, fire exits, fire extinguishers, flashlights, radio, and civil defense shelter?

E. Additional Sources of Emergency Equipment and Supplies

Item	Supplier	Phone
Wet vacuum	___________________________	___________
Sand bags	___________________________	___________
Portable dehumidifiers	___________________________	___________
Portable electric fans	___________________________	___________
Portable generator	___________________________	__________
Portable pump	___________________________	___________
Refrigerator trucks	___________________________	___________
Nearest off-site phone	___________________________	___________
Nearest CB radio	___________________________	___________
Portable lighting	___________________________	___________
Extension cords (50ft., grounded)	___________________________	___________
Metal book trucks	___________________________	___________
Plastic (milk) crates	___________________________	___________
Sturdy boxes	___________________________	___________
Heavy plastic sheeting	___________________________	___________
Plastic garbage bags	___________________________	___________
Polyethylene bags (various sizes)	___________________________	___________
Freezer or waxed paper	___________________________	___________
Dry ice	___________________________	___________
Drying space	___________________________	___________
Portable tables	___________________________	___________
Absorbent paper (blank newsprint, blotter, etc.)	___________________________	___________
Paper towels	___________________________	___________
Plastic buckets and trash cans	___________________________	___________
Water hoses with spray nozzles	___________________________	___________
Brooms and dustpans	___________________________	___________
Mops, buckets, sponges	___________________________	___________
Monofilament nylon (fishing) line	___________________________	___________
Hard hats	___________________________	___________
Rubber boots	___________________________	___________
Rubber and/or plastic aprons	___________________________	___________
Gloves (rubber/leather)	___________________________	___________
Protective masks/glasses	___________________________	___________
Photographic equipment/supplies	___________________________	___________
Portable toilets	___________________________	___________
Construction materials (wood, screws, nails)	___________________________	___________
Ladders	___________________________	___________
Extra security personnel	___________________________	___________
Other	___________________________	___________

F. Daily Upkeep Checklist

The following should be checked during opening and closing procedures, and included in overnight security patrols.

	Y	N
Keys are secure and accounted for	_____	_____
Vaults and safes are secured	_____	_____
Doors that are supposed to be locked are locked	_____	_____
Evidence of tampering with locks or access points	_____	_____
Evidence of tampering with major utilities	_____	_____
Anyone hiding in the building	_____	_____
Central panels or local monitors for trouble indicators	_____	_____
Doorbells, buzzers, intercom are working	_____	_____
Lights are working (including emergency lighting)	_____	_____
Surveillance equipment is operating	_____	_____
Alarms are armed or disarmed as required	_____	_____
Equipment is operating properly HVAC Water tanks Pumps Special equipment	_____ _____ _____ _____	_____ _____ _____ _____
Unusual or off-hours activity	_____	_____
Construction/renovation areas	_____	_____
Unusual smells or sounds	_____	_____
Evidence of water leakage (walls, ceilings, floors)	_____	_____
Known problem areas	_____	_____
Refrigerators and freezers are plugged in and operating	_____	_____
Small appliances are unplugged	_____	_____
Sinks and toilets are in working order	_____	_____

G. Weekly Upkeep Checklist

	Y	N
Emergency numbers are posted near every telephone	_____	_____
Fire extinguishers are updated and operable	_____	_____
Smoke and/or heat detectors are operable	_____	_____
Sprinkler system is operable	_____	_____
Water detectors are operable	_____	_____
Halon or other fire suppression system is operable	_____	_____
Fire alarms are operable	_____	_____
Internal detection devices are in working order	_____	_____
Internal alarms are in working order	_____	_____
External detection devices are in working order	_____	_____
External alarms are in working order	_____	_____
Back-up systems have been tested Emergency lights Power Alarm panels	_____ _____ _____	_____ _____ _____
Incident reports have been reviewed	_____	_____
All keys are accounted for	_____	_____
Flashlights are operable (one in each dept., public desk, and civil defense shelter)	_____	_____
Transistor radio is operable	_____	_____

H. Other Emergency Issues

Date of last fire drill: ______________
Frequency:_________	Required? (Y/N)	Next scheduled date:________

Date of last inspection by local fire department: _________
Frequency: _________	Required? (Y/N)	Next scheduled date: ________

Date of last civil defense drill: _________
Frequency: _________	Required? (Y/N)	Next scheduled date: ________

Date of last analysis/update of insurance coverage
Frequency: _________	Required? (Y/N)	Next scheduled date: ________

Photographs of interior and exterior stored off-site? (Y/N)
Frequency: _________	Required? (Y/N)	Next scheduled date: ________

Is there an off-site record (microform, computer tape) of the collection? (Y/N)
Frequency of update: ________________________________
Location: _________________________________________

(Insert copies of last inventory report and insurance policies here)

I. Salvage Priorities

Compile a list of items that should be salvaged first following a disaster for each department, area, and/or office. Keep these considerations in mind when setting priorities.

Is the item critical for ongoing operations of the institution?
Can the item be replaced?
Would the cost of replacement be more or less than the cost of restoring the object? (Replacement cost figures should include ordering, cataloging, shipping, etc. in addition to the purchase price.)
Is the item available in another format, or in another collection?
Does the item have a high or low collection priority?
Does the item require immediate attention because of its composition (coated paper, vellum, water-soluble inks)?

J. Procedures

Compile and attach a detailed list of procedures to be followed in case of disaster. These should accommodate your institution's particular needs and collections. Consult the NEDCC Preservation Leaflet "Emergency Management Bibliography" for sources of information.

Acknowledgements

This material is based on statewide disaster plans developed by the State Libraries of Wyoming and Iowa, and "Guidelines for Protecting Your Organization’s Memory From Disaster," by H. Holland, Provincial Archives New Brunswick, and is used with their kind permission.