Group photo in front of curtain and sign that says "Teamwork for Integrated Emergency Management"

Group shot of the 2005 workshop participants "Teamwork in Integrated Emergency Management" in Bangkok, organized by the Museums Emergency Program Education Initiative, a collaboration of the GCI, ICOM, and ICCROM. Courtesy of MEP partners.

This was a pilot training course developed by the Conservation Institute in partnership with ICOM and ICCROM and offered within the framework of ICOM's Museum Emergency Programme. The course took place in three phases between August 2005 and June 2006 that included:

  • a workshop in Bangkok, Thailand, August 15–26, 2005
  • a practical phase extending from September 1, 2005 through March 30, 2006
  • a final review meeting in Seoul, Korea, June 19–23, 2006

The pilot Teamwork for Integrated Emergency Management course was designed for museum personnel in Asia. The course participants were institutions rather than individuals; each institution participating in the course was represented by a team of staff who had been identified by their director as key members of the institutional emergency management team. The participants represented a wide range of roles within their museums including directors, curators, conservators, security professionals, and a registrar.

The pilot course tested a teaching and learning model that augments a traditional classroom-based workshop with an extended period of practical work undertaken by participants in their own institutions. The course content took participants through the various aspects of integrated emergency management including how to organize and motivate institutional teams, carry out risk assessments, understand planning strategies and tools such as security maps and evacuation routings, mitigate the risk of various natural or human-made emergencies, and respond effectively when an emergency occurs. Throughout all phases of the course, the importance of multidisciplinary planning and teamwork was stressed.

Bangkok Workshop

Attended by museum teams from eight national museums and two museum studies programs, the first phase of the course was a two-week workshop in Bangkok, Thailand, from August 15 to 26, 2005. The workshop combined lectures, discussions, and a series of practical exercises that presented participants with a foundation in the knowledge and skills needed for integrated emergency management within museums. It was organized in cooperation with the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center in Bangkok and the Office of National Museums of the Fine Arts Department, Thailand. The practical sessions, which included a simulation of a disaster that required participants to assume specific response roles, took place at the National Museum Bangkok.

Practical Work Phase

During the second phase of the course, from September 1, 2005, through March 30, 2006, participants worked on projects within their own museums, following a program of work that reflected the needs and priorities of the institution. As part of this effort, participants also developed and trained their own emergency management teams. Throughout this process, participants were encouraged to implement locally sustainable approaches by adapting ideas and information from the workshop to the situation and resources within their own institutions. During the practical phase, participants submitted regular progress reports to the course teaching team, who served as mentors to guide the work as needed. The resulting exchange of ideas and experience was helpful to both instructors and participants, underscoring the importance of collaboration and the mutual support that it can bring.

Since the combined program of teaching and practical work was spread over a period of several months, participants were able to implement integrated emergency management in a manner and time frame that took into account their other professional obligations, as well as the schedule and other priorities of their museums. A course website facilitated the exchange of information and served as a repository for didactic materials, web links, and other information relevant to integrated emergency management.

Review Meeting in Seoul

Teamwork for Integrated Emergency Preparedness concluded with a final meeting of the participants and instructors in Seoul, Korea, from June 19 to 23, 2006. The first four days of the meeting took place at the Seoul Museum of History. Participants and instructors reviewed the progress made by each museum team, sharing both information and insights gained over the many months of practical work. On the fifth day, participants assembled at the National Folk Museum of Korea to give presentations of their work to members of the local museum community.

The meeting in Seoul was organized with the support of the Korean National Committee of ICOM, which generously provided accommodation and other hospitality. Additional funds for participants' travel were provided by UNESCO.

Participants

National Museum of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

National Museum of Mankind, Bhopal, India

National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka, Japan

National Museum of Korea, Seoul, Korea

Colombo National Museum, Colombo, Sri Lanka

National Museum of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines

University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines

National Museum Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand

Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, Hanoi, Vietnam

Hanoi University of Culture, Hanoi, Vietnam

In addition, representatives from the Canadian Conservation Institute and the Art Gallery of Hamilton in Ontario, Canada, participated in the course to study the feasibility of adapting this training for Canadian museums.

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