2022 Texas Heritage Responders Training Course

Alliance for Response Network

Alliance for Response (AFR)

Floods, hurricanes, fires, and other disasters can harm or destroy irreplaceable cultural and historical treasures. The FAIC Alliance for Response (AFR) initiative brings cultural heritage and emergency management professionals together at the place where virtually all initial disaster response occurs-the local level. One of the keys to preparedness is a relationship with first responders and emergency managers. They are first on the scene at any event that threatens life or safety, and they represent a local system for planning, response, and recovery that has often overlooked a community’s cultural and historic assets. The Alliance for Response initiative remains effective by:

• encouraging institutions to complete disaster plans and train for emergencies;

• creating cooperative disaster assistance networks among museums, libraries, archives, and historical properties and sites;

• raising awareness of the importance of cultural heritage in communities;

• influencing official emergency policies and plans.

Texas Collections Emergency Resource Alliance (TX-CERA)

As a member of the Alliance for Response Network, the Texas Collections Emergency Resource Alliance (TX-CERA) is an affiliation of institutions and professionals that support and advocate for the preservation of Texas cultural heritage. TX-CERA promotes emergency planning followed by training in response and recovery efforts and techniques. TX-CERA helps to mitigate the loss of collections due to disaster by offering professional development workshops, consultations, and institutional networking statewide. TX-CERA is classified as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Texas Heritage Responders (THR)

The title of Texas Heritage Responder recognizes professionals with the ability to work within an Incident Command System and lead volunteers in collections recovery response efforts. Our goal for this program is to create a Statewide network of volunteers which are able to rapidly respond to an event, incident, or threatened venue with an effective and coordinated response in support of a local Emergency Operation Center (EOC) or Disaster District (DSC).

Course Access

Participation in this training course requires a Gmail account for access to the online portion of the material. If you do not have one, one can be provided for you.

For questions about the course or provided material, please contact Steve Pine at spine@mfah.org.

Course Outline

The course consists of three parts:

1. FEMA’s Online Course “Introduction to the Incident Command System (ICS 100)” - This separate training is a requirement for this course and will be completed as part of the curriculum. ICS provides a foundation of communication and hierarchy which is critical for understanding the weekly materials and discussions presented in this course.

2. Weekly Readings & Zoom Sessions - These sessions provide training in damage assessment, rapid documentation, emergency evacuation and salvage, rehousing and storage, crisis communication, health and safety, and more. Participation is these sessions is required. Please allow 1-2 hours of independent study to read and review the materials per week. Weekly Virtual Discussions will include a combination of presentations, Q&A, and breakout sessions to practice critical thinking and material application in realistic scenarios. These discussions will last roughly 1.5 hours each week depending on the topic and related material.

3. In-person Workshop - This year's workshop will be at Texas A&M University, College Station campus and will build upon the online training and reinforce concepts covered in the readings.

Expected Outcomes

The training will introduce participants to the following principles of emergency preparedness and response:

• Become acquainted with local, state and national organizations who respond to emergencies

• Identify relevant programs, services (including salvage companies), volunteers and specialists which can assist cultural heritage organizations in the event of a disaster

• Communicate with other response organizations using the Incident Command System

• Assess and understand risks to cultural heritage in emergency situations

• Develop or improve existing institutional disaster plans

• Understand the various aspects of training and managing a response team

• Practice hands on salvage of wet heritage collection materials

Workshop

Participants will use what they’ve learned and salvage a mock collection that’s been damaged by water. The workshop will be held at Texas A&M University, College Station on Friday, August 5, 2022. Details for this full-day workshop will be provided after registration.

Course Fees

The cost for this course is $45.00 and includes the virtual learning sessions and the in-person workshop. AIC and FAIC members will receive a discounted rate. Travel expenses and accommodations are the responsibility of the participant. Once the course begins on June 6, 2022, we will no longer issue refunds.

Sponsors

This course was made possible by the generous support of the American Institute for Conservation, Belfor Property Restoration, the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation, McCarthy Building Companies, Inc., The Projects Group, and Texas A&M University Libraries.