What is the Regional Emergencies & Disaster Support (REDS) Service?

REDS is a membership benefit of the East Midlands Museums Service.
There is a strong element of self-help – REDS is there to help those who help themselves. REDS offers a degree of support, expertise and guidance based on regular Team members’ training. 

 

The REDS Team currently comprises fifteen members - three representing and living in each of the five large counties of the region.  All are museum or record office staff, a mix of conservators and curators, who between them have expertise in most of the specialist subject areas found in historic collections.  Their employers have agreed to release them without notice for duties with the REDS Team.  Central co-ordination is provided by the East Midlands Museums Service (EmmS).

 

How is REDS funded?

 

Funding for REDS is provided by entirely EmmS.  The initial costs of equipment,both for the Team members and the various stockpiles established in the region, was met by a grant from the Museums & Galleries Commission, the predecessor MLA, and more recently by EMMLAC (2002-04).

 

The employers of Team members have agreed to meet the payroll costs and expenses of their staff whilst training with the Team, although they would seek reimbursement of any costs incurred on a call-out from the institution assisted. 

 

 

Who can benefit?

 

The scheme is open to institutions that comply with all the following criteria:

 

• Have charitable or Local Authority status

 

• The governing body is a ‘Museum Member’ of EmmS

 

• Hold historic, scientific or artistic collections for public benefit

 

• Have a current Emergency & Disaster Plan which is available for inspection

 

• Return an annual Operational Agreement for REDS participation.

 

 

Benefits of Membership

 

·         Every participating site is given a CD ROM of Emergency Manual for Historic Buildings and Collections

 

·         REDS Team members aim to visit all participating sites in their county once in every three-year period for familiarisation

 

·         REDS is intended to offer an appropriate response to incidents which place historic collections either under immediate threat (requiring evacuation), or in which they are already damaged and in need of specialist knowledge and handling (salvage)

 

·         The Team has access to stockpiles of emergency salvage materials established throughout the region, which are intended to provide initial equipment to assist in the correct handling of items, particularly following water-damage

 

·         The Team meets twice per year for training in emergency/disaster response

 

·         Participating sites are covered under EmmS’ subscription to Harwell Drying & Restoration Services’ Priority Users scheme.

 

 

How is the REDS Team called out?

 

All participating institutions are supplied with 24-hour telephone contact details of the REDS Team and central coordinator.  Following an incident, the affected institution’s key holders (or others) should contact one of these (initially the county representatives or the central coordinator), who will then arrange an appropriate response.  This may include assembling the entire team, or specialist members of it, either immediately or later - whenever the activities of the Team would be most useful.

 

Employers of REDS Team members agree to release them (by arrangement with EmmS) for emergency callouts for immediate and short-term support of no more than one working day.  Thereafter, the maximum time for Team members to be released is at the discretion of their employers and is dependent upon the scale and nature of the disaster, and whether an individual is providing general or very specialist advice: this ‘second phase’ commitment is negotiated directly between the relevant organisations.

 

There is no limit on the number of emergency callouts in any year, recognising that it is not always possible for all Team members and their employers to comply.

 

 

How can you help yourself?

 

·         Establish your own emergency stockpile, by identifying materials likely to be needed in case of typical incidents, such as flood, fire or storm damage in your own institution and its related sites.  Ideally, designate the stockpile as such, and do not use material in it except in an emergency; at the least, store materials together, that they may be readily gathered following an incident

 

·         Prepare an Emergency Manual for each site, test it and keep it up-to-date

 

·         Contact your local Fire Station to:

 

            •          arrange familiarisation visits with each of the watches from the local station, that they might learn the location and layout of your buildings, and the special salvage requirements of the contents

            •           seek their advice and ideas on how to complete sections of your site Emergency Manual 

            •           offer your museum, library or archive office as a possible site for a fire-service training exercise 

 

How can your institution help REDS?

• Nominate a member of staff to serve on the Team - a reserve list is maintained

•  

• Help to organise a training event for REDS.  The Team needs to practise on a variety of materials, in a variety of locations.  If you know of quantities of papers, books, and other material that would otherwise be destroyed, please consider them for a training event.  We will hose them down, and practise our salvage!

Where can I get further information?

 

If you have any further queries on the REDS Service and its operation, or would like to offer ideas to improve its organisation or training, please contact Susan Lansdale, at the following address: 

 

East Midlands Museums Service

PO Box 7221, Colston Bassett, Nottingham NG12 3WH

 

Tel: (01949) 81734  

Fax: (01949) 81734

 

Email: emms@emms.org.uk

 

 

Key Questions/Prompts on a REDS callout

Don't be afraid to put the REDS Team on standby as soon as you discover an incident.  You may not need us, but we can at least start getting ready to help you.  Depending on when you ring, we may have to call you back (in less than five minutes).  A REDS team member will ask you a number of Key Questions and Prompts.  These are designed to help you and us.  Take a little time now to read them through.  They may raise questions and ideas about your own Disaster & Emergency Plans, and how you would cope in a crisis.

Remember - Think Safety, Think Security

Key Questions

1. Insurance - Have you contacted your insurance company?

2. Health & Safety  

Is the situation under control, or still developing?   

Is there access to the building now?  If not, when is access likely to be    possible?

Do you need REDS now, or later on?   

Have you undertaken a risk assessment?   

Would there be permission (from the emergency services and your governing body) for REDS to enter the building? 

3. Senior Management

Have you contacted senior management/chair of trustees? 

Someone will need to sign off money, and someone will need to deal  with the press.

4. Security

Have you made the buildings and contents secure?

Do you know who people entering the building are? Ask them to identify themselves.

Key Prompts 

The REDS member will cover the following prompts (those highlighted are the most important), or will ask you to phone back as soon as you can:  

ABOUT YOU

What is your name & role?
What is the name of your museum?
Which building has the incident?
What is the address and telephone number?
How do I get to the site and where is the nearest parking?
What number are you ringing from? If we ring back, who will answer?  

DISASTER PLAN

Can you briefly explain what happened? When did it start? Is it static, or getting worse?

Is your Emergency Manual to hand? Also phone book and Yellow Pages?

Is there a PRIORITY RESCUE LIST and plan of the galleries and stores?

Do you have a disaster kit, or can you assemble some basic materials from local stores? IF NOT:-

Can you contact other local museums who may have disaster equipment or staff resources available?

Are you on your own? Is there someone available with knowledge of the collections a curator, other staff member (including retired), or member of the governing body?
 

BEING SAFE

Is the building safe to enter, or when is access likely to be granted?

Are all staff entering the building advised of safety risks and properly protected?

Is there any flood water? Where did the water come from? Is it contaminated?

Are you able to undertake a risk assessment? If not, who is (such as a Health & Safety Officer)? Some risks will be obvious such as slip or trip hazards and broken glass, but also think about manual handling, poor air quality, mould contamination, contaminated water and stress.

Is there power and water? If power is still on, DO NOT enter a flooded building or wet area until it has been officially declared safe. If power is off, you will need to take steps to get it declared safe and turn supplies back on. What are the timescales to get power and water? IF NO POWER. . . .

You will need power and light. You can do this through the Fire Brigade who have salvage and emergency equipment, or you will need to contact a local hire company, or even Emergency Planning Officer via the Police.  

BEING ACCOUNTABLE

 

Who else knows about the disaster? Have you contacted senior staff / trustees / chair of governors?

You will need to contact your insurers as soon as possible and they will appoint a loss adjuster.

Do you have a camera/films and flashgun? Your insurance company/loss adjuster will need a clear record of the scene before you start moving things.

You will need to spend money. Is there someone on site with the ability to authorise expenditure? (armed with cheque book, order book or credit card remember to keep all receipts)

The press will be arriving soon. Will someone be available to talk to the press?

Do you need to contact the Harwell Drying Priority User Services? They will give a free assessment for organisations in the REDS scheme.

Harwell 24 hr Hotline tel no: 01235 434373 or 432245  

BEING PRACTICAL

You are going to need a lot of space (sorting areas, treatment areas and dry storage). Do you have, or can you safely clear, one or more open areas? Are they secure?

Can you organise/cone off a clear parking area outside the building (contact the police if necessary)

Can you give me a tour of the building?

Before we arrive/look around, there are some tasks other staff and helpers could be getting on with

Create a central control point (phones, paper, pens, black/whiteboard, light etc)

Clearing large areas for object rescue

Removing undamaged objects from areas where they are still at risk.

Ensuring building security is maintained (especially vulnerable access points)

Shopping for extra items of protective clothing

Creating a First Aid point/identifying people with First Aid experience.

Preparing a staff rota which includes plenty of breaks (consider working shifts to cover tired members of staff, and sending some staff home in order to come back later)

Organising refreshments and rest area.

Handling calls from the press or public (do the phones need to be diverted?)

Making simple posters to advise closure of the building

Researching specialist suppliers, conservators or damage management companies (internet access?)
 

Remember - Think Safety, Think Security