Calling all library disaster planners!  If you have a disaster plan (of any kind!) written for your library and we could add it to our “Model” tab here on the blog, please send it to me.  We hope to be able to provide as many examples as possible to people who might be just getting started or who are updating and improving existing plans.  It will help even to have a template or Table of Contents from plans that are already working.  If you can “de-personalize” a copy of your plan (delete personal phone numbers, addresses, etc.) and send it to me as a Word document or a PDF, I will add it to our list of models.

We especially need examples from hospital libraries, so that we can help address this issue for as broad a range of libraries as possible.

I have found that our own plan is not opening properly in some browsers off-site, so I will investigate and hope to ensure that all the resources we are trying to make available are easily accessible.  Thanks in advance!

The Getty Conservation Institute wrote a workbook called “Building an Emergency Plan:  A Guide for Museums and Other Cultural Institutions,” in 1999.  The publication is now out of print, but a free PDF version is available from their website.  It is very well organized and thoughtfully written.  Check out page 2 of the Introduction for an impressive table of disasters that have occurred to cultural institutions around the world in the past 20 years. 

I’m sure you have all heard about the 6.6 magnitude earthquake that hit Hawaii yesterday. Fortunately, no reported fatalities, but there have been a lot of evacuations and structural damage.

If you are wondering about the risk of earthquakes in your area, click on this site from FEMA. Also, it may be a good time to check your disaster procedures for earthquakes. Here are our response procedures for an earthquake:

Response:

• stay inside the building and immediately take shelter underneath a desk or table, wherever possible.
• be prepared for further earthquake activity and aftershocks
• stay away from windows, mirrors, overhead fixtures, filing cabinets, bookcases, and electrical equipment as much as possible
• once the shaking has stopped, see if anyone in your area is trapped or injured
• assist anyone who needs help, and assist in the evacuation of the building (see Evacuation Procedure, front of this manual)
• do not attempt to move seriously injured persons unless they are in obvious, immediate danger (of fire, building collapse, etc.)
• do not re-enter the building until it has been declared structurally sound
• check for broken water pipes or shorting electrical circuits. Do not use a match, candle or lighter to find your way, since there may be flammable gas in the air. Turn off all appliances and other electrical equipment. Do NOT walk into areas where there is water on the floor. Standing water can hold an electrical charge from damaged power lines and can cause electrocution.
• do not use telephones except in emergency. Lines should be kept free for emergency rescue operations
• ensure that sewage lines are intact before running water or flushing toilets

Map of Earthquake Areas

Here are our freshly revised shelter in place procedures:

In certain emergency/disaster situations, such as a chemical spill or contamination by a biological agent, or earthquake, evacuation will NOT be the appropriate immediate response.  Evacuating the building during such an emergency will actually place people in greater danger than if they were to stay inside and wait. 

• The shelter-in-place location for a chemical spill or biological agent contamination should be as high up in the building as possible, and in a room without windows, if possible (our Staff Lounge on the second floor).

• In the event of an earthquake, the immediate shelter-in-place location is underneath the nearest desk or study table.

• If library staff and patrons need to be protected from someone who has been identified as being armed and dangerous, we will initiate Shelter-in-Place procedures using several locations within the library. 

Chemical/Biological

In the event that we are notified of a chemical spill or biological event contamination, the ERC will request, via the PA system, that the LOC meet at the Circulation Desk.  If the LOC determines that a shelter-in-place response is necessary, initiate procedures as follows:

·        Make the following announcement over the PA for our area, instructing staff and patrons that we are initiating shelter-in-place procedures:

“We have received notice that there has been a chemical spill [or toxic material contamination] in the vicinity of the Library.  All Library staff are directed to initiate “shelter in place” procedures.  All patrons inside the Library should report to the Circulation desk at this time for instructions.”

·        Close the Library and post the “Shelter in Place” sign on the outside of the front doors.  The sign explains why we are closed, where we are, and how to contact us.  The sign is located in the front pocket of the Disaster Plan binder at the Circulation desk.

·        Forward the Circulation desk phone to the Staff Lounge phone at 982-5980.

·        Ask patrons to stay – not leave. 

·        Call Facilities Management (924-2667) or Systems Control (982-4685) to request that they turn off all fans, heating and air conditioning systems in our vicinity.  

·        Our second floor Staff Lounge (Room 2211A) is designated as our Shelter-in-Place location because it is above the ground floor, with the fewest windows or vents.  Additional spaces may be designated in order to provide more space.  The Staff Lounge does contain a hard-wired telephone and access to restrooms.

·        Essential disaster supplies, such as nonperishable food, bottled water, battery-powered radios, first aid supplies, flashlights, batteries, duct tape, plastic sheeting, and plastic garbage bags are available in our Staff Lounge, stored in the black cabinet in the kitchen area, and beside it.  (There is a copy of this procedure with the supplies in the cabinet.)

·        Use duct tape and plastic sheeting (heavier than food wrap) to seal all cracks around the door(s) and any vents into the room.  Use wet paper towels to seal the openings underneath the doors.

·        Use the telephone to notify emergency services that we are in our shelter-in-place, including how many people as well as where we are.

·        We are advised to keep listening to the radio or television until we are told all is safe or we are told to evacuate. Local officials may call for evacuation in specific areas at greatest risk.

Earthquake

In the event of an earthquake severe enough to cause damage to the building, the best response is to stay inside the building until the event is over (see following).  Often, more people are hurt by falling debris outside of the buildings in these events than are harmed inside the buildings, if they have sought appropriate shelter inside.

• stay inside the building and immediately take shelter underneath a desk or table, wherever possible.
• be prepared for further earthquake activity and aftershocks
• stay away from windows, mirrors, overhead fixtures, filing cabinets, bookcases, and electrical equipment as much as possible
• once the shaking has stopped, see if anyone in your area is trapped or injured
• assist anyone who needs help, and assist in the evacuation of the building

(See the “Earthquake” section in the emergency/disaster events section for further details)

Armed and Dangerous

In the event that either a person in the library or in the vicinity is identified by library staff or other source as being armed and dangerous, library staff and patrons will shelter in-place.  The ERC will direct everyone on the main level (2^nd floor) to proceed to the Staff Lounge.  The doorways from the halls adjacent to the Staff Lounge should be locked using the VE-2 key.  They can then be opened without a key from the Lounge side, and will require the VE-2 key to unlock from the outside.

Staff and patrons on the first floor (LRC and Med Ed) should proceed to the Carter Classroom.  The desk person should take the cordless phone with them into the classroom, for use in contacting staff in the Lounge (2-5980).  The door should be locked, the blinds lowered, and the lights turned off.

Historical Collections staff and patrons (basement level) will shelter in the Rawles Room in this situation.  A staff member should take their cordless phone into the Rawles Room for use in contacting staff in the Lounge (2-5980).

Depending on the situation, patrons in the Cabell Room may need to shelter in-place in the bathrooms.  If possible, the ERC will send a Circulation staff member to Cabell in order to direct the shelter in-place.  The designated person will take the cordless phone from Circulation for use in communicating from Cabell to staff in the Lounge (2-5980).

The bomb threat checklist that we use can be found at UVA’s Critical Incident Management web page.

Our area experienced two school-related bomb threat incidents yesterday; one at a high school and one at a community college.  Today we’ve been discussing how viable our emergency response procedure is for bomb threats.  We borrowed our procedures from UVa’s Critical Incident Management procedure for handling a bomb threat that is received by telephone, and it involves filling out a form while on the phone with the caller before reporting the incident to the authorities.  Does anyone have experience in dealing with bomb threats?  Also, does anyone else have a bomb-threat checklist that they are required to complete?  Here’s our current procedure:

• if you receive a bomb threat over the telephone, remain calm, and refer to the Telephone Checklist for Bomb Threats (following this page)
• try to elicit and compile as much information as possible
• do not try to immediately notify others or evacuate the building, rather focus on trying to gather as much information as possible
• if applicable, check the display on your phone and note the number given for the incoming call
• try to keep the caller on the line as long as possible; do not anger the caller
• while engaging the caller, pay attention to any background noise and distinctive sounds (machinery, traffic, other voices, music, television, etc.)
• note any characteristics of the caller’s voice (gender, age, education, accent, etc.)
• immediately after the caller has ended the call, notify the UVa police at 911.
• if the threat was left on your voice mail, do not erase.
• be aware that should a bomb threat be received in writing, the fewest number of people possible should handle the paper, which should be given to the police.
• if a bomb threat is received by email, it should be saved on the computer of the person who receives it
• notify the Library’s ERC, as well as your department supervisor.
• if the authorities order an evacuation, follow established Evacuation procedures (see second section of this manual)

Lisa McGuire, our pandemic planning expert from the University of Minnesota Health Sciences Library, reports that she did a brief survey of health sciences administrators in her region on whether they had incorporated any pandemic planning in their disaster plan. She reports that the resounding answer was no or not yet, but speculates that most are probably waiting for plans to come down from their parent institution. Last spring, I emailed the the UVA Health System’s Emergency Preparedness director about pandemic planning, and she stated that a plan was in the works. I’ll see if I can get an update on UVA’s plan.

Here is a new page we have just added to our disaster plan. We think it will be helpful in keeping abreast of threat levels, both local and national, as well as other useful preparedness information. Since risk situations change, both seasonally (e.g. hurricanes) and due to terrorist activity, these websites provide timely warnings.

Alert Level Awareness

The person responsible for maintaining the library’s Disaster Plan (Project Assistant to the Assistant Director of CMAS) is also responsible for monitoring the national and local levels of “Alert” status. For the University of Virginia, we will monitor information listed at the following sites:

Department of Homeland Security

Virginia Department of Emergency Management

University of Virginia’s Critical Incident Management site

The Project Assistant will notify the Assistant Director of CMAS immediately of any change in the alert level or any new information.