The Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative (SCRI) and the Heritage Emergency National Task Force (HENTF) have announced that after a two-year hiatus, the Heritage Emergency And Response Training (HEART) program will be held in person in Washington DC from December 5-9, 2022. The call for applications is now open. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, October 5 at 11:59 PM. There is no fee to participate in this training and lodging expenses in Washington, DC for all selected participants will be covered. There are also some travel funds available to subsidize travel costs.
The HEART program is a training opportunity for U.S.–based professionals to gain skills and experience in disaster response for cultural heritage. The course consists of three parts. Accepted applicants will be required, before the start of the program, to complete FEMA’s online course “Introduction to the Incident Command System (ICS 100),” as well as selected pre-course readings. Participants will travel to Washington, DC, for a week of hands-on training at the Smithsonian Institution from December 5–9, 2022. HEART sessions will provide realistic, hands-on training in damage assessment, rapid documentation, emergency evacuation and salvage, rehousing and storage, crisis communication, team building, and more. After the training, graduates will join the larger HEART alumni network and can participate in future online educational sessions that reinforce concepts covered during the in-person training.
To learn more and to apply, visit SCRI’s training webpage and review the below Application Call PDF document.
To watch the recorded videos from the 2021 Virtual HEART Week, visit the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative’s Youtube channel playlist on HEART.