Free online courses in emergency management for cultural heritage responders

"Emergency preparedness and response in the cultural heritage field require ongoing commitment to training and education. No two emergency incidents are the same; the more you know and experience, the more effective you will be in any situation. 

Conservators and cultural heritage professionals bring specialized knowledge about the physical nature and social value of cultural materials to a response effort, but it is important to receive training on the proper salvage and recovery of cultural materials. 

It is equally important to know how to function as a responder within the existing framework of local, county, tribal, state, and federal response systems. This is valuable information whether you are responding to emergencies within your community or nationwide. 

All emergencies have some common elements that need to be understood in order to minimize loss and respond most effectively, including: 

• communications based on emergency networks and official response structure(s)
• access to resources, including:
  • experienced or trained labor,
  • supplies
  • critical equipment and services such as transport, storage space, etc.
• recognition that civil authorities may temporarily be in charge of institutions affected by the emergency.

Cultural heritage responders should be aware of the networks that exist for responding to emergencies and familiar with the mechanisms for working with them collaboratively and effectively. The free courses listed below will teach you official protocols and structure, terminology, and key local contacts for emergency response, whether you are assisting your own institution or serving as part of a volunteer team. 

All the online courses below are available free through http://training.fema.gov/IS/ "