All Hands on Deck: Disaster Recovery
Disaster Recovery should occur five to seven days after the burn and begins with a second group walk-through of the side-by-side burn sites to observe any changes to the site after the burn. The delay in commencing salvage operations mimics real-world, delayed access to a damaged institution. This delay may also, depending on the time of year the workshop is held, produce a mold outbreak. If a live burn is not performed, the format of this workshop can still be held utilizing a simulated disaster.
Participants receive information on how to salvage a range of collection materials and then are guided through the burned spaces by the instructors when safety and collection concerns will be shared. Participants then perform a damage assessment in groups of 3-4 utilizing forms from David Carmicheal’s Implementing the Incident Command System at the Institutional Level and FAIC’s Field Guide to Emergency Response (available in the handouts). The afternoon in set aside for a salvage exercise.