Build an AFR Network

Develop and Formalize Your Network

The Planning Committee of an Alliance for Response forum will often morph into the Steering Committee of a nascent local assistance network. The volunteers who coordinated the forum are passionate about the protection of cultural and historic resources and are eager to engage both the local cultural community and the emergency management community. But passion alone will not sustain a network. Keeping your membership engaged and growing is vital to maintaining a vibrant network. And by conveying your existence to your local community through outreach, you can expand your membership.

Formalize Your Organization

As your network matures, governance policies can help provide a structure and a means to ensure the network continues even if individual members do not. Here are some examples and ideas to help shape your local assistance network.

Mission and Vision Statements

A mission statement defines your network’s purpose and primary objectives. A vision statement conveys values of your network.

Strategic Goals

Strategic goals provide a roadmap for the organization with clearly defined objectives and activities.

Alliance for Response South Florida Strategic Plan 2017-2019 (PDF)

By-laws

By-laws help your network map out its purpose and how it will go about its business.

HERA (PDF)
SHER (PDF)
SHERN (PDF)

Mutual Aid Agreements / Memoranda of Understanding

A mutual aid agreement or memorandum of understanding (MOU) between organizations provides a pre-established mechanism to quickly obtain emergency support, which can include personnel, equipment, materials, and other associated services.

Annexes to Emergency Operations Plans

Work with your city, county, and state to integrate cultural heritage into emergency plans.

State Level

Org Charts and Committee Person Descriptions

Organizational charts and position descriptions can help define your AFR members' roles and responsibilities.

Membership Applications

Member Surveys

SHER (PDF)

Credentialing

Expedite Post-Disaster Access Through Credentialing (PDF)

Outreach Materials

Websites

Build Relationships with Emergency Responders

Alliance for Response is all about connecting with local emergency responders. In any emergency, you will be working with local emergency responders to save and secure your institution.

For tips on how to connect, explore and download FAIC's Working with Emergency Responders poster

Become familiar with the vocabulary and terminology of emergency management

Engage in planning and preparedness activities – including exercises and drills – with your first responder community.

Prepare Before Meeting with Your Local Responders (PDF)

Join your state’s emergency management association and volunteer for a committee.

Find out from your local emergency management director if there’s a local chapter of Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD) and sign your network up to be a member.

Gain a “seat” for cultural heritage at the municipal Emergency Operations Center.

Designate official liaisons from local cultural institutions to the city emergency management agency.

Form a statewide committee to formulate a plan to address the needs of cultural institutions in emergency preparedness, response, and recovery.

Participate in exercises run by your state emergency management agency

Agenda for Savannah’s 2015 Citywide Hurricane Exercise that includes a breakout group focusing on historical and cultural sites

Participate in national preparedness activities such as the Great ShakeOut earthquake drills.

Volunteer to speak at meetings and conferences of local and state emergency personnel to spread the word about Alliance for Response.

Ask local emergency personnel to speak at a network meeting.

Produce a short video on collaborating with first responders.

COSTEP MA: Protecting Our Cultural Heritage video

Present a forum related to historic weather events in your city.

Present a forum with panelists from the fire protection community, facilities managers, curators, and collections care professionals.

Northeast Ohio: Fire! Recent Trends in Suppression and Mitigation

Work with your emergency management agency to plot locations of cultural and historic entities in a GIS data layer.

Massachusetts: Cultural and Historical Facilities
Georgia: GaNCH Map Project

Find Funding Support for Network Projects

Consider these funding sources as avenues of support for ongoing preparedness and planning activities. Also, be sure to check state and local opportunities for support, partnerships, and sponsorships.

Department of Homeland Security: Emergency Management Performance Grants (EMPG) (nonprofits must apply through a state applicant)

Department of Homeland Security: Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)

Institute of Museum and Library Services: Museums for America (smaller museums/emergency planning)

National Endowment for the Humanities: Preservation Assistance Grants

State Historical Records Advisory Boards

State Arts Councils

State Humanities Councils

Community Foundations

Guide: Foundation Grants for Preservation in Libraries, Archives, and Museums