The International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) and the Prince Claus Fund have recently published an innovative handbook and toolkit on First Aid to Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis, for free download. Entitled First Aid to Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis, this is a two-part publication created for the various actors involved in an emergency. It provides a practical method and a set of ready-to-use tools for securing endangered cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible. The user-friendly workflows help readers to plan and implement coordinated cultural rescue and risk reduction operations that involve local communities, heritage custodians, emergency responders and humanitarians.

Background

When disasters strike, local communities are the first to try and safeguard their cultural heritage, however their ability to intervene is often greatly reduced during complex and multi-faceted humanitarian crises. At the same time, first responders may not always be aware of what is culturally important, and they often lack the training to handle heritage objects and structures, and meet the specific needs of those who bear traditional knowledge. Written with the key guiding philosophy of ensuring an inclusive attitude and respect for diversity while at the same time interlocking humanitarian assistance with cultural heritage first aid, this resource provides an essential, ethical framework that will lead to successful outcomes. The cultural heritage first aid workflows and methodologies have been field tested in Haiti, Iraq, Syria, Nepal, Philippines and India, yet this is the first time they have been codified into a comprehensive tool that is accessible to anybody. The resource has multiple uses: it will help to improve emergency preparedness within cultural heritage institutions, serve as a reference to train others, and act as a guide for planning and implementing coordinated cultural heritage first aid. The First Aid to Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis Handbook and Toolkit is the outcome of nearly a decade of field experience gained by ICCROM, and a close partnership between ICCROM, the Prince Claus Fund and the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative.

Contents

• The Handbook offers step-by-step instructions and real-life case examples. It walks readers through the three  phases of cultural heritage First Aid – (1) situation analysis; (2) post event, on-site damage and risk assessment; (3) security and stabilisation, which collectively lead to early recovery.
• The Toolkit is rich with checklists, templates and tips that can be customised to any situation.

Further information

The Handbook and Toolkit that make up First Aid to Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis are available as a free download from the ICCROM website: https://www.iccrom.org/news/pioneering-resource-first-aid-cultural-heritage-now-available