Disaster Plan

Objectives of this plan: Aid the administration and staff of the Library in dealing with a disaster or emergency situation.   Delineation of Authority: The Library Director routinely contacts the President of the Board of Trustees when planning to close the library at any other time than regular closing.  In situations that may be considered disasters or emergencies, the Board President should be contacted as soon as possible.  The Library Director assumes the role of Library Emergency Coordinator.  If the Director is not in the building, the normal chain of command will determine which staff member assumes this role.   All staff should understand that in an emergency situation, employees are encouraged to take appropriate action and make appropriate decisions.     The Library Emergency Coordinator will:
  1. Take full control upon being notified of a disaster
  2. Make immediate decisions regarding emergency responses
  3. Order activation of responses
  4. Notify appropriate outside agencies
  5. Be prepared to turn over control to outside agencies for the emergency operation
  6. Determine which local agencies need to be notified
  7. Document all activities
  Types of Disasters:
  1. Weather related: earthquake, tornado, hurricane, flood, blizzard
  2. Nuclear incident/accident
  3. Motor vehicle accident
  4. Fire or explosion, bomb threat
  5. Structural failure 
  6. Poisonous/noxious gas release
  7. Loss of utilities
  8. Biochemical contamination; biohazard
  9. Mandatory lock-down, lock-out
  Standard response to emergency situations:
  1. Human Life Comes First.  Anything else can be replaced.
  2. Administer First Aid.  First aid is treatment that will protect the life of a victim until appropriate medical assistance arrives.
  3. Call Expert Help.  In most emergency situations, the need for expert help is evident.  Fires are fought by fire fighters, bomb scares require police assistance, power failure requires electrical expertise, etc.
  4. Follow Instructions.  Once expert help has been contacted, follow their emergency procedures.  In cases involving emergency government agencies, i.e., police, fire, etc., these experts are “in charge of the emergency operation.”
  Library Options:
  1. Delayed opening
  2. Early closing
  3. Complete closing, hour by hour or day by day basis
  4. Evacuation
  5. Quarantine
  School Overflows: From time to time, the school has had emergency situations (formal or informal) where students leave school grounds and seek the library as safe haven.  When necessary, call the School Security office (phone number) or 911 for assistance.   Floods
  1. Identify source of flood.  If it can be stopped, do so.
  2. Contact appropriate vendors for assistance (plumber, restoration specialists, etc.)
  3. Wet materials should be taken to a dry area.  Air dry materials by setting them up, turning them every 30 minutes.
  4. Let books dry by themselves.  Don’t squeeze books, etc.
  5. Plastic sheeting/tarps are stored in the basement.  Use as necessary.
  6. Be sure to dry shelves, before returning materials.
  7. Open doors, set up fans, increase air conditioning to temperature below 70 and help decrease humidity.
  8. Take steps to prevent mold.
  9. Materials that are not salvageable should be prepared for discard.
  Water shut off valves: {enter location and procedure}  

Gas valves: {enter location and procedure}

  Basic supplies held: Drop cloths (electrical room), flashlights (throughout offices), rubber gloves, plastic bags, mops and buckets, face masks (custodian’s closet), plastic crates/milk crates (corral).   Hardware: Wet vacuum, carpet extractor, fans (basement), vacuum (custodian’s closet), fire extinguishers (throughout library)   Actions that may be taken with advance notice: Lift all bottom shelf books to higher shelves, tape across vulnerable windows to prevent shattering, lift computers off floor, shut down LAN, back up computers, power down all PC’s, printers, etc., cancel affected programs/meeting room reservations, phone chain to staff.   Rain gear: The Library does not maintain supplies of emergency rain gear.  A large trash bag may be used as follows: cut three holes – one in center on bottom seal (for head), two on either side (for arms).   Fire Alarms Fire Policy remains the standard.  If the fire alarm sounds, get everyone out.  Everything can be replaced.  People are the priority.   Alarm monitoring: Laser Alarms monitors our fire and theft systems.  They may refer an alarm to the police or fire department, (phone number). Code word is {enter code word}.  (Not for public dissemination.)   Fire Alarm switch (enter location): {Enter information on Fire Alarm switch}   To reset fire alarm switch (enter location):
  1. {enter procedures} 
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    Approved by the Board of Trustees, {date}

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