Terms and definitions (3 of 4)
When is an emergency really an emergency? (continued)
This photograph shows the damage caused to a collection during a leak in a store. Not everyone would consider that this was an emergency, because:
- The emergency services were not required to deal with it
- No deaths resulted as a consequence
However, this kind of incident is often considered an emergency in terms of Emergency Planning, for the following reasons:
- It started quickly and unexpectedly
- It caused damage to the valuable collections
An Emergency Plan can be created to cover a range of sizes of emergencies, but it should explicitly state what is and is not included, so that it is clear when the plan should be used.
