SENY PresentationApril 5, 2006

Kala Harinarayanan

Director of EHS

American Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History

Museum Facts

Size – 1.6 Million square feet Employees ~1100 Full Time ~200 Part Time Volunteers ~ 1000 Visitors ~ 2,000 – 30,000 per day – avg.10,000 Open 363 days a year (closed only on

Thanksgiving and Christmas)

Emergency Management

Senior Security Director is Emergency Coordinator

Staffed with Security Guards 24-7

Emergency Management Handbook

Various Scenarios outlined– Bomb Threat– Natural Disaster– Fire– Chemical Spill– Medical Emergency– Etc.All emergencies go through security control room

Evacuations

Various procedures for Day, Night and Weekends

Evacuation Wardens and Captains During Daytime hours

Last evacuation – August 2003 Blackout

Evacuation Drills

Practice at a minimum of twice a year– During Public and Non-Pubic Hour

Involve Local NYPD and FDNY – NYPD and FDNY walk-through Museum to

familiarize – Both watch drills when available

Last Drill – under 10 minutes with 2000 plus visitors for all clear signal by emergency coordinator

Evacuation Drill Considerations

School Groups – Pre K – College Students– Sometimes as many as 70 Buses (50 kids per bus)

Several Emergency Exits Public and Non-public areas Accounting for staff and volunteers Disabled staff or visitors Sheltering-In Policy

School Groups

They can evacuate at any exit, but once outside they are directed to a separate area away from the rest of the public

Visitor Service Supervisors are dispatched to the school group area to assist teachers

Secondary bus loading area designated if garage is unavailable with Transportation Staff

Public (Non-school groups)

Initial sweeps of the building are done of all public areas

Secondary sweep is done of all private office and collection areas

Once outside visitor services or security keeps public updated

During drills, visitors are given comment slips

Private Areas (Offices and collection spaces)

PA in all areas Evacuation wardens and alternates search their

designated office areas– Once outside they check in with Evacuation Captain

If Evacuation Captain has not had a department check in – they call Emergency Coordinator on two way radio

During night and weekend hours – security evacuates complete building

All staff scan their ID’s when entering building for accountability

Disabled Staff or Visitors

In addition to PA system we have strobes in any newly constructed building or when one is renovated

Mobility Impairment– Evacuation Chair, which is dispatched with the

Moving Gang

Sheltering-In

Museum has not been identified as a gathering place for the city.

Air-intakes can be shut down in a very short period of time

Sheltering-in policy developed to assist our visitors for short term

– Exhibit halls for gathering staff and visitors are identified and separate

School groups are separate– TV’s or radios (news stations)will be placed in gathering halls,

except in school group areas

Re-Entry

Re-opening – Staff re-scan ID’s– Visitors complete bag-check and show ticket

If we fail to reopen– Visitor Service Reps. are dispatched to assist

visitors with ticket refunds or comp tickets – Security closes all entrances except one to staff

Other Emergency Information

Analog Phone Lines (POTS) which bypass our switch

Security Dept. can monitor NYPD activity Toll Free Phone Number for staff for

emergency information– 24 hours – 7 days a week– Located out of tri-state area– Live Operator

QUESTIONS??????