{"id":22,"date":"2018-11-21T19:25:53","date_gmt":"2018-11-21T19:25:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/costepmassachusettsdraft.wordpress.com\/?page_id=22"},"modified":"2018-11-21T19:25:53","modified_gmt":"2018-11-21T19:25:53","slug":"history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/costepma\/index.php\/about\/archives\/history\/","title":{"rendered":"2006 &#8211; 2009: COSTEP MA Framework"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>COSTEP \u2013 The Framework<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Coordinated Statewide Emergency Preparedness (COSTEP) program was\n developed by the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) in \npartnership with the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC)\n and the Massachusetts Archives. Other partners included the Chief \nOfficers of State Library Agencies, the Society of American Archivists, \nHeritage Preservation, and LYRASIS (formerly SOLINET).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The goals of the initiative were to develop, evaluate, and \ndisseminate a model for statewide disaster planning for cultural \nresources. The three-year project, which ran from 2006 through 2009, \naddressed the need for state archives and libraries to be better \nprepared to provide a coordinated response to area-wide disasters. To \nmeet these goals, the project created the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nedcc.org\/disaster\/downloads\/COSTEP_framework_1.pdf\">COSTEP Framework<\/a>,\n a planning tool designed to bring together cultural institutions and \nemergency management agencies. The Framework provides a blueprint for \npreparing for area-wide disasters and building alliances with federal, \nstate, and local emergency management agencies<strong>.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>COSTEP MA \u2012 The Pilot Project<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>COSTEP in Massachusetts (COSTEP MA) began as a pilot program to test the Framework. COSTEP MA\u2019s Steering Committee began meeting in 2007 to determine how the Framework  would best work for the cultural and emergency management communities  in Massachusetts. Initially spearheaded by the MBLC, the Massachusetts  Archives, and NEDCC, along with the New England Museum Association  (NEMA) and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), the  Steering Committee grew to include members from other institutions and  agencies, including FEMA, Tufts University, Historic New England, and  the Massachusetts Information Technology Division.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cooperation is an essential feature of COSTEP, both internally and \nexternally. With that in mind, the Steering Committee brought together a\n diverse membership from both the cultural and emergency management \ncommunities to form the COSTEP MA Advisory Committee, which included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>State agencies responsible for cultural resources<\/li><li>Emergency managers and first responders from the City of Boston, MEMA, FEMA, and the Department of the Interior<\/li><li>City and town clerks and record managers<\/li><li>Historic houses and sites<\/li><li>Historical societies<\/li><li>Public and private libraries, archives, and museums<\/li><li>Academic institutions<\/li><li>Performing arts organizations<\/li><li>Professional organizations<\/li><li>Preservation associations<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The first meeting of the full Advisory Committee was held on March \n21, 2008, at the Massachusetts Archives. At that meeting, the group \nbegan a review of the Framework and discussed how it might work in \nMassachusetts. Due in large part to efforts underway since the early \n1990s to integrate cultural resources into emergency planning, it was \npossible for COSTEP MA to integrate representatives from both the \ncultural heritage and emergency management communities in a relatively \nseamless manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Six sub-committees were created, all targeted at reaching specific goals of the Framework. The sub-committees included Hazards,  Vulnerability, and Mitigation; GIS (Geographic Information System) and  Planning; Content; Outreach; Training and Assistance; and  Steering\/Sustainability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>COSTEP MA \u2013 Accomplishments<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As a result of regular meetings and hard work by the sub-committees, \nthe Advisory Committee, and the Steering Committee, COSTEP MA succeeded \nin developing initiatives that integrate the needs of the cultural \ncommunity into emergency management activities. Using the COSTEP \nFramework, COSTEP MA has accomplished the following: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/costepma\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/Protection_of_Cultural_and_Historical_Resources_Annex.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a>Creation of the <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/costepma\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/COSTEP_MA_Annex.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Protection of Cultural and Historical Resources Annex<\/a><\/strong>  to the State Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP), which was  approved by MEMA in December 2009. This annex coordinates federal,  state, local, voluntary, and private resources to assist, preserve, and  protect cultural and historic institutions and resources before, during,  and after natural or man-made disasters. This annex joins others, such  as the Disaster Resource and Logistics Annex and the Debris Management  Plan, to address a need heretofore never met<strong>.<\/strong> <\/li><li>COSTEP MA is now a part of the <strong>Massachusetts Emergency Management Team<\/strong>,  which is composed of liaisons from Federal, state, local, non-profit,  and private-sector agencies and organizations that support MEMA during  activations of the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) at MEMA HQ.  When needed, COSTEP MA liaisons can report to the SEOC where they will  coordinate state-level assistance by COSTEP MA partners and support  agencies to supplement local response efforts, as well as provide  subject matter expertise for decision makers relating to cultural  resources.<\/li><li>Coordination of activities with MEMA and FEMA to use public libraries as <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/costepma\/the-cultural-community\/costep-ma-outreach\/disaster-recovery-center-drc-program.html\" target=\"_blank\">Disaster Recovery Centers<\/a><\/strong>  (DRCs). DRCs are readily accessible facilities or mobile offices where  applicants may go for information about disaster assistance programs  offered by FEMA, other federal agencies, and non-profit organizations.  Public libraries are an obvious choice for this effort as they are a  familiar location, can offer public space, access to computers, and  staff that works with the public every day. This effort serves as a way  to bring library directors and Emergency Management Directors (EMDs)  together to create a more comprehensive disaster response team within  the community.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li><li>Development of pilot projects for <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/costepma\/the-cultural-community\/costep-ma-outreach\/community-meetings.html\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Community Meetings<\/strong><\/a>  to develop an effective mechanism for integrating cultural resources  into the local emergency management plan. These meetings provide an  opportunity for cultural heritage stewards, EMDs, and town officials to  meet and collaborate to prepare all organizations to respond to a  disaster. Find out <a href=\"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/costepma\/the-cultural-community\/costep-ma-outreach\/community-meetings.html\">here<\/a> how your community can participate.<\/li><li>Creation of the <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/costepma\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/COSTEP-MA-CRIF-2013.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Cultural Resources Inventory Form for Cultural Institutions<\/a><\/strong>.Completed  by each cultural institution in every community, the form is handed to  the local EMD for inclusion in the local Comprehensive Emergency  Management Plan (CEMP). This form collates data about the type of  facility, the type of collections, existence of potentially hazardous  materials, the average number of visitors, and other information that  can be helpful to EMDs during response and recovery. Since EMDs are  responsible for maintaining and updating local emergency plans, this  standardized form and protocol enable a more robust local disaster  response for cultural resources than has existed previously. This  exchange of information is a prime opportunity for the local cultural  community to meet their EMD and begin working together. A separate <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/costepma\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/COSTEP-MA-CRIF-Municipal-2013.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Cultural Resources Inventory Form for Municipal Offices<\/strong><\/a> was subsequently developed to protect the records in the custody of city and town clerks.<\/li><li>Creation of a <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/costepma\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/COSTEP_MA_Command-Control.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Command and Control structure<\/a> <\/strong>that  can be implemented by municipalities to address the needs of cultural  institutions in response to a local disaster. The purpose of the  structure is to streamline the communication flow during and after an  emergency by funneling information from the local cultural institutions  and organizations to the point person (town clerk, library director,  etc.), who will then pass the information along to the local EMD. This  will ensure that the needs of these institutions are known to the EMDs  without adding to their already demanding responsibilities.<\/li><li> The COSTEP MA Steering Committee is now the Executive Committee, and <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/costepma\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/COSTEP_MA_By-laws.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">By-laws<\/a> and a <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/costepma\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/COSTEP_MA_Strategic_Plan.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Strategic Plan<\/a> are now in place. The COSTEP MA Advisory Committee is now called, simply, COSTEP MA. The full membership meets every two months. More   information about COSTEP MA meetings can be found <a href=\"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/costepma\/about-costep-ma\/costep-ma-meetings.html\">here<\/a>. <\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>COSTEP \u2013 The Framework The Coordinated Statewide Emergency Preparedness (COSTEP) program was developed by the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) in partnership with the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) and the Massachusetts Archives. Other partners included the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies, the Society of American Archivists, Heritage Preservation, and LYRASIS (formerly SOLINET). &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/costepma\/index.php\/about\/archives\/history\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">2006 &#8211; 2009: COSTEP MA Framework<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"parent":807,"menu_order":88,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","no-featured-image"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/costepma\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/costepma\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/costepma\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/costepma\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/costepma\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/costepma\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/22\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/costepma\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/costepma\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mblc.state.ma.us\/costepma\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}