Members can volunteer to act as zone leaders who will maintain contact lists and will start a callout when there is a need in their region. Trained local volunteers can provide support over the phone or by going to the site if needed to lend a hand.
An institution with the capacity to store a BC HERN emergency supply kit for their region, can host the kit and ensure it is available to go where it is needed. In an emergency, the kit can be sent to the affected site and the community receiving the kit can use any of the contents to help in the salvage of their collections. After the emergency, the receiving community will return the kit restocked to the host institution.
There is no cost for membership to the BC HERN.
Institutional Membership
There are four requirements for institutional membership:
- Your institution must have a disaster plan in place or have a commitment to developing a plan.
- You must have emergency salvage supplies for collections on site.
- 1 – 3 people within your institution must commit to undertaking salvage training.
- You must be willing to support others in need.
Individual Membership
Individuals who have taken the BC HERN salvage training but who are not employed with an institution that holds collections are still welcomed to join.