Emergency plan

What to do in the event of a disaster

When any unexpected event occurs, one thing you don’t have is the luxury of time. The first few hours can be vital and so it is important to put your rehearsed plan into action immediately. This is where training comes in, so that recovery can begin with minimal delay and maximum efficiency.

The overriding priority in an emergency situation is to ensure the safety of everyone on the premises, then the challenge of containing the damage to both building and contents.

In the hours and days following the incident being declared over/safe, the next task is to account for all objects and fully document the damage sustained. All of this could happen very quickly, the most critical period of time will depend on the scale and type of incident.

Immediate response

In the light of your assessments, you should have effective plans for dealing with the first critical stages of any emergency.

This will include:

• How the alarm is raised
• Evacuation procedures including assembly points
• Contacting and liaising with the emergency services
• What to do in a given circumstance e.g. if, when and how to tackle a fire
• Other emergency contacts
• How to handle medical situations including carrying, administering first aid and where to treat people
• A list of hazardous substances and their location.

A response equipment kit is a pre-prepared set of supplies containing items that are necessary for smaller disasters and in the initial stages of a larger disaster. 

The kit should contain items such as paper towels, mops, rubbish bags, hi-vis tabards, tools to open cabinets and remove paintings from frames, and gazebos. 

To keep track of the incident and to assist any emergency services, a situation report should be completed and periodically updated throughout the incident. This records things such as:

• Lead contacts onsite, representing your organisation (and the emergency services if onsite)
• Have the emergency services been contacted and if so, at what time
• An evaluation of the situation as can be ascertained at the time
• What actions have been taken so far.

In a severe situation, the responsibility for the site will rest with Emergency Services personnel and they will advise when it is safe to re-enter the building. You should record the time the Emergency Services took control, the name of the lead officer, and the time the 'all clear' was given.

When it is safe to enter, any damage to the buildings and collection needs to be assessed to ascertain what action needs to be taken. It is also important to try to stabilise the situation and prevent further damage.

When the emergency is under control and the site has been made safe, security against opportunistic theft is a primary consideration – especially if any objects of value are still on the premises. In this event, you should seek advice from your insurance company and/or security company if you have one. Your situation report may also assist during an insurance claim.

An itemised snatch list is a record of priority items that can be grabbed on your way out - if it is safe to do so. If the Fire and Rescue Service is involved, they will have control of the site. They should be made aware of any precious items that need to be retrieved if possible, and after all life safety has been considered. 

A snatch list is an internal document that notes all priority items, detailing any known issues of fragility and vulnerability and each item’s location. Factors that should be considered in the creation of the snatch list include: 

• The value of the item (both monetary and personal)
• Ease of replacement 
• The speed at which the item will deteriorate when wet 
• The ease with which the item can be removed and transported, including details of any equipment needed (e.g. keys, knives etc.) 
• A photograph of the item to help with identification. 

To facilitate any potential insurance settlement, be sure to have everything professionally valued. A copy of your valuation should be kept off-site in a secure location. 

A separate snatch list may also exist for any items or collections on loan to you from somewhere else. Salvage cards will also need to include these items.

In the event of an emergency, speed is crucial, so the removal procedure needs to be both simply set out and entirely unambiguous.

Salvage cards can be given to the emergency services to start retrieving items, even if the incident is still ongoing provided there are no life safety considerations. You should therefore compile from your snatch list a set of room-by-room floor plan salvage cards.

These could be printed and laminated or be online and accessed via a portable device on-site. Cards should include:

• Photographs of the item/s within the room
• Locations (of the item – which room and position within the room)
• A simple description of every item (not just names of items because a name will not mean anything to someone who is unfamiliar with the collection)
• Exit routes
• Power points
• The location of fire extinguishers, water, gas and electrical mains (including stopcocks and fuse boxes) and any other relevant mains utilities and services information
• Precise information on any tools necessary to enable individual items’ removal. For example ‘screwdriver’ as a description is insufficient; details of screw head size and type may well save a wasted journey.

Once salvaged, items should be labeled and catalogued. A gazebo and ground-sheets may be needed to protect the items if it is bad weather.

One of the most critical aspects of timely response is fast, effective communication, particularly if you have a larger organisation or group of people who will need to be informed such as owner, trustees/board members, staff and volunteers. 

Information should come from a central point to avoid speculation and to ensure accuracy and consistency. You may need to establish what level of messaging is communicated to which group of people (e.g. you may give more detail to trustees and just do/don’t come in for your shift to staff). 

This can be achieved by having a pre-designed communications system that sets out what method/ platform will be used to communicate what level of messaging to which group. 

Your system may involve a number of methods of communication, such as phone, social media and SMS messaging, each chosen for its intended audience as well as what you need to communicate. Your plan must be regularly kept up-to-date to take account of changing personnel and contact numbers/details. 

Depending on the situation you may also need to communicate with external parties such as the media. If this is the case you may want to consider obtaining professional help from a communications professional or PR agency. If you have PR cover within your insurance policy, it is worth checking this to see if you have access to a professional PR company. 

As an Ecclesiastical customer, you have access to a PR helpline - 0345 600 1861 and may also have access to some professional support. 

Alongside handling the immediate incident, there will be a network of people to inform and provide with regular updates, including: 

• Trustees and board members 
• Stakeholders
• Investors 
• Collection owners (if you have items or a collection on loan to you) 
• Staff and volunteers not directly involved in handling the incident 
• Suppliers: utilities and any expected deliveries or contractors 
• The media 
• Insurers 
• Your local authority 
• Pre-booked visitors/users 
• Potential visitors/the public 
• Royal Mail 

Your communications plan should include names and contact details, alternative methods of communication and a plan for speaking with the media. 

It is important to communicate key information in a timely manner. Information should come from a central point to avoid speculation and to ensure that it is accurate and consistent. 

If you run a business or charity from your property, you will want to keep as much of the business as is possible operational during the incident and recovery process

If it is a small incident, this may be possible within a few days with just a part of the business out of action. But depending on the scale and nature of the incident, this could mean anything from a scaling back of operations to a complete loss of premises for an unknown period of time.

In the meantime, arrangements may need to be made for:

• Alternative safe means of access and exit to the parts of the property that remain operational
• Temporary administrative headquarters
• A temporary venue
• IT and communication support
• Alternative arrangements for pre-booked activities
• Secure storage for items not directly impacted by the incident but which need relocating whilst the incident is dealt with and recovery completed.

Business interruption insurance cover will assist with the costs associated with these unforeseen changes including staff wages and loss of revenue.