Accredited museums must submit a copy of their response plan to the Museums Council by Friday, March 27.
The National Museum Council has offered webinars on creating response plans, with all accredited museums invited to participate in collaboration with conservator Nathalie Jacqueminet. The last webinar concluded last February, at which point all accredited museums should have had the opportunity to attend the course and receive guidance on creating a response plan under the guidance of an expert.
Prevention and response plans play a key role in ensuring our cultural heritage for the future.
Responsible parties Accredited collections need to be prepared to save cultural assets if a threat or emergency arises, and creating a response plan is a crucial part of that. A risk-based response plan is a practical tool that should be simple to use and provide clear guidance on first response actions, responsibilities, and communication with responders.
The main points that need to be established when creating a response plan are:
- A risk assessment has been conducted.
- Contact list
- Priority list for the rescue of collection items
- Fundamental Measures and Preventive Actions
It is possible to access Instructions and template for the response plan on the Council on Museums' website. If museums, for any reason, cannot complete their response plans, they are asked to contact the Council on Museums.
Response plans must be updated annually, and updated response plans from accredited institutions will be requested in the annual report of the Council on Museums.
The plan is supported by Civil Defense definitions: Uncertainty level, Danger level and Emergency level.
Green: uncertainty level
When it is suspected that something is occurring, whether natural or man-made, which could later threaten the health and safety of people, the environment, or built structures.
Yellow: Danger level
If the health and safety of people, the environment, or property is threatened by natural or man-made causes, though not so severely as to constitute an emergency. At the alert level, a potential emergency can be addressed before museum objects are damaged.
Red: Emergency level
When an accident or disaster has occurred. The emergency phase is characterized by an event that has caused injuries to people and/or damage to structures. Activities during this phase are characterized by immediate life-saving measures and efforts to prevent further accidents and damage.
The reason The primary reason for requiring response plans is to ensure that the responsible parties of recognized institutions are prepared to rescue cultural property in the event of a crisis. In addition, Iceland has now ratified the 1954 UNESCO Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, which includes a commitment for all cultural institutions in Iceland, and thus all recognized museums, to engage in preventive work and the creation of response plans for various threats, including natural and climate disasters.
A security plan is not the same as a response plan. A response plan does not address the safety of people – which should always be the top priority – but it is desirable for all museums to have a safety manual to ensure the safety of people, along with an evacuation plan that describes how to respond if an emergency arises and how to evacuate people from the museum should the need arise.