ALLIANCE FOR RESPONSE NEWS BRIEF

Last month, cultural leaders and emergency professionals gathered at the Denver Public Library for the Denver Alliance for Response Forum. Kudos goes to the Forum Planning Committee, who were successful in bringing together the largest percentage of emergency professionals at any Forum to date. Thirty percent of the 90 attendees came from the emergency management, public safety, and security professions. To learn more about the day�s events visit: http://www.heritagepreservation.org/AfR/Denver/News.html

Still to come this year, the Triangle Alliance for Response Forum will take place at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh on October 23, 2009 and the Savannah Alliance for Response Forum will be held at the Jepson Center for the Arts on December 8, 2009. Information on both the Raleigh and Savannah programs will be posted at http://www.heritagepreservation.org/AfR/.

Cultural leaders and emergency professionals from central Pennsylvania will be convening for a half day Alliance for Response Forum in Harrisburg, PA on October 26, 2009. Working with the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh Alliances, the Harrisburg group will serve to form a tighter network in the state.

News from the Alliance for Response Networks:

The Atlanta based Heritage Emergency Response Alliance (HERA) was active in tracking flood damage to cultural institutions in Georgia when the state was hard hit by rain storms in September. Through their list-serve they were able to contact affected institutions and offer help and advice with response efforts. Luckily, it appears only one institution was badly flooded, and the staff there was able to take appropriate mitigation efforts to save the collection.

On September 9, 2009 the Pittsburgh Alliance for Response network hosted a session on fire suppression and fire safety with nationally recognized fire expert Nick Artim, Director of Heritage Protection Group. The session described the general philosophy of fire safety for cultural heritage properties including libraries, archives, museums, and historic structures.

The Philadelphia Alliance for Response group sponsored an afternoon workshop on October 19, 2009, entitled Emergency Preparedness for Philadelphia Cultural Heritage Institutions: Learn How to Stay in Business when a Disaster Strikes! The program included continuity of operations planning, emergency access systems, evacuation planning, and how to stay informed when a disaster strikes.

On October 30, 2009, The New York City Alliance for Response steering committee is sponsoring a tour of the newly restored Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine and it�s Textile Conservation Laboratory. The Cathedral was heavily damaged by fire in 2001 and was finally rededicated in November of 2008 after seven years of restoration. The tour will focus on early response efforts and the ensuing restoration and preservation issues.

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The Heritage Emergency National Task Force s a partnership of 40 government agencies and national service organizations formed in 1995. An initiative of Heritage Preservation and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Task Force has helped to protect cultural heritage from the damaging effects of natural disasters and other emergencies. Find valuable disaster resources at the Task Force Web site, www.heritageemergency.org

Heritage Preservation is a national non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the cultural heritage of the United States. By identifying risks, developing innovative programs, and providing broad public access to expert advice, Heritage Preservation assists museums, libraries, archives, historic preservation and other organizations, as well as individuals, in caring for our endangered heritage.