disaster planning and control - International Records Management ...

Key people inside and outside the organisation need to be
contacted right away in an emergency.
The plan will also identify external suppliers or advisers, such as people who might
supply storage space or materials, moving trucks or other equipment. These local
resource people can be critical to the success of emergency planning. The organisation
should consider establishing reciprocal agreements with other organisations, so that
each can help the other in the event of an emergency. It is also advisable to establish
relationships with suppliers such as butchers or dairies, or anyone with large walk-in
freezers, as it is often necessary during a salvage operation to freeze wet papers until
such time as they can be dried out and repaired. It is also very important to establish
contacts with national or regional emergency or disaster relief organisations. If
possible, representatives of the records or archives institution should join the
committees of these external organisations in order to ensure that information needs are
considered in the process of national or regional emergency planning.
See Appendix 4 in Planning For Emergencies: A
Procedures Manual for sample forms that may be
used to maintain contact lists.
It is wise to establish formal relationships with such external suppliers. A
memorandum of agreement can ensure no confusion during an emergency about who
has agreed to do what.
See Appendix 6 in Planning For Emergencies: A
Procedures Manual for a sample memorandum of
agreement.
Activity 19
Name four people (by position title, not personal name) within your organisation who
should be notified first in the event of an emergency.
Name four organisations or businesses in your area that could be contacted to share
resources such as freezers or emergency supplies. How would you go about
contacting them and discussing a possible reciprocal arrangement?
Identification of Items of Special Concern
The plan will also identify areas of the building where materials of particular concern
are kept, as well as specific lists of records to be rescued. For example, if the
organisation’s key financial documents are in the safe in the records vault, this location
should be identified so that the records may be removed safely. If areas are locked or
otherwise protected by keys, combinations or passwords, it is imperative that enough
people have the ability to access the area, so that the records are not at risk if one
particular person is not available. For example, staff should not take the only available
EMERGENCY PLANNING FOR RECORDS AND ARCHIVES SERVICES
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