Chapter 8 Rescue Simulation: Disaster Preparation Practices

Chapter 8Rescue Simulation:Disaster Preparation Practices
Part 3▧ AMANO Masashi (National Museum of Japanese History)

Introduction
Promoting materials rescue prerequisites the training of personnel. As described in Part 2, we must rescue various materials and take emergency measureswhen a disaster strikes. However, it is the staff members of museums, libraries,
and archives that lead the practice in a disaster area, some of whom do not havespecial knowledge and skills for materials preservation and restoration. After adisaster, when information gets tangled up, accurate judgment of the situationand prompt work planning are inevitable. Thus, to develop human resources fordisaster response, we must train the staff to select specific techniques and thinkin a way that enables them to plan a series of tasks from rescue to emergency
treatment and then adjust for permanent preservation.
In this context, we have hold workshops for disaster preparation. The contents
vary, but in recent years we have the following three types.
The first is an enlightening one. Shiryo-Networks and museums promote
this type, whose purpose is not to specify the target materials but to introduce
practical practices to publicize the activities of material conservation and expand
the bearers for future preservation and inheritance. They try to let the public understand the importance of materials preservation by introducing water-absorbing
drying of water-damaged materials using familiar household utensils and othermaterials.
Next is a technical training one. Its main target is technicians involved inmaterials repair and preservation, aiming to train specialists with the necessary121

techniques for first aid treatment and for subsequent full-scale repair— developing such techniques is also its aim.
The third is an action-planning one. This type studies the communication
system and the transportation of the materials to the site in a disaster throughtabletop exercises with the stakeholders in a specific community [Fig. 1: Types ofworkshops designed for disaster preparation] (See Chapter 7 for details).
While these workshops are effective in grasping the required actions for materials rescue, what the practitioners need in a disaster is to analyse the situationand manage the whole project by planning the work process from rescue to temporary storage, including negotiations with outside experts and coordination withvolunteers. During the work process, observing the target materials and planning
the workflow based on the observation are important, and it is necessary to selectthe most appropriate method using various techniques and knowledge. Therefore,
in addition to understanding the entire work process, understanding the focus on
the materials and simulating specific measures are necessary: training and examination through workshops are quite effective. In setting up a workshop, we needto provide participants with an opportunity to experience the actual work processfrom the planning stage to see what was influential in the process they devised(1) Enlightening WS
Emergency!
(3) Action Planning WS

Enlightenment

Emergency Treatment

First Aid Treatment

Temporary
Storage

Preservation andUtilization(2) Technical Training WS
Restoration

Fig. 1122

Chapter 8 Rescue Simulation: Disaster Preparation Practices

and what the problems were, including failures, so that they can share the conceptof disaster countermeasures and a concrete image of actions.
In this context, this chapter presents the objectives and methods of a workshop designed for material rescue, aiming at improving skills in total rescue
management.

1. Purpose

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Part 3

The author has held workshops mainly for those in charge of on-site work torescue materials, such as local government officials, museum curators, university
faculty, staff, and students. The central theme is to examine specific measures
after rescuing damaged materials, especially water-damaged and challenging
ones. Rather than a one-way introduction of ideas and techniques, the workshop
aims to allow participants to discuss specific issues and engage in trial-and-error.
This workshop is a practical examination of what, to what extent, and how
to tackle the series of work processes from first aid after the rescue to temporarystorage. It emphasizes material observation upon seeing the damaged materials
besides the practice and concept of handling them based on the observation. Frequent natural disasters led to the accumulation of disaster response experiences,
thanks to which many reports and manuals are now available. Reading them,even those inexperienced can get some idea of the proper countermeasures; on theother hand, to put the acquired knowledge into practice, it is necessary to understand the full scope of the work, at what stage they should use the knowledge andskills, and specifically for what conditions they are effective. Participants need toobserve the materials in our workshop and think about the proper measures. Furthermore, by discussing the results with other participants and attempting to put
them into practice, these challenges enable them to acquire the necessary skills
and improve disaster management.

2. Preparation
2.1. Preparing Samples and ToolsThe workshop simulates the first aid treatment of damaged materials. Organizers prepare sample “damaged materials”, because it is difficult to offer actual
ones. This section introduces samples of paper-based materials.
The target materials are old documents from the Edo period onward, many ofwhich remain in museums, libraries, archives, and private homes across Japan.
Using Japanese paper (Kozo paper), organizers make paper bundles imitating
account books, letters, and attachments and then damage them intentionally byputting them in plastic bags, soaked with black or green tea leaves (or used coffeebeans) and lukewarm water to simulate staining, and left overnight at room temperature to fasten staining and deterioration. Mixing mud to simulate defacement
is possible, but materials should be as non-harmful as possible, considering thevenue’s environment and participants’ health [Fig. 2: Sample of simulated olddocuments, Fig. 3: Mixed with tea
leaves and steeped in lukewarm water,and Fig. 4: Sample of pseudo-afflictedcondition].
Other samples should be as general
as possible. For example, for absorbent
paper, use newspaper or kitchen paper;for tools, prepare items that anyone canobtain at a home improvement store,Fig. 2Fig. 3124Fig. 4

Chapter 8 Rescue Simulation: Disaster Preparation Practices

such as tweezers and brushes. Sometimes, it is possible to encourage participants
to bring what they consider necessary for material salvage. The trick is to use
only vague words such as “material rescue”. Such a drill enables organizers tounderstand how the participants perceive material rescue and what tools they
think they need.
The facilitator who supervises the entire workshop should preferably besomeone with experience in disaster site management or an expert in conservation science or restoration, but others can serve if advice is available.
Part 32.2. Setting Tasks

Organizers set tasks assuming the response immediately after the rescue.
Participants can obtain the whole picture of material rescue by taking part inthis type of workshop and action-planning workshop (introduced in Chapter 7 indetail) in succession.
When assuming a disaster, it should align with the geographical environmentof the participants’ residential areas. For example, if the area has a large river
flowing nearby, assume river flooding; if on the coast, assume storm surge andtsunami; if along a mountain, assume landslides caused by heavy rains. In thisway, assuming damage based on past disasters in the area makes it possible toshare a more concrete image.
The participants play a role as on-site personnel responsible for materials rescued in a disaster, and each participant shall be given a group of prepared sample
materials and examine how to treat them. They shall examine the following: (1)material observation, (2) goal setting, and (3) work process.
(1) Material Observation

Observe the images of the damaged materials projected on the screen
and the sample materials distributed. Determine the initial task, considering
the risks related to deterioration and damage.
When dealing with the risks, identify the points that need attention regarding the work environment and health.
(2) Goal Setting
To develop a work process within the scope of first aid, determine thespecific conditions to which the materials should be brought. In addition,

125examine the points to remember when temporarily storing the materials after
the first aid.
(3) Work Process
Determine the work process to put (1) and (2) into practice.
First, each participant considers the above on themselves. Then, in groups ofthree to five, participants discuss what they have examined and formulate a work
process as a group [Fig. 5 and Fig. 6: Sample text for discussion].

3. Practice
Each working group has 3-5 participants. After the facilitator explains thetasks mentioned above, the participants consider the issues independently for 10minutes, then discuss them as a group for 20 minutes and implement the work
based on the process that each group has derived. The facilitator watches thediscussion, and the participants are responsible for reviewing and implementing
the process [Fig. 7: Workshop (20 May, 2023, Fukushima University) and Fig. 8
Workshop (27 November, 2023, Saitama)].
After completing the work, each group presents their review, and then all theparticipants review. During the discussion, the facilitator comments on the evaluation, issues, and suggestions for improvement, particularly on the followingpoints.
First, the validity of the observation. The critical point is whether the participants can concretely envision the damage situation based on the season and thetime required for rescue, the scale of the materials as a group, and the nature of
the materials. The facilitator needs to explain the damage that participants cannot
perceive through images or samples, especially the risk of odour and mould, andto encourage them to pay attention not only to the approach but also to healthhazard measures and environmental measures at the storage destination as part ofthe preliminary preparations.
As for the goal setting and work process, the facilitator evaluates whether theparticipants could make a feasible plan, presupposing that first aid is only temporary. Suppose some participants have experience in rescue activities. In that case,the facilitator sometimes comments on the importance of flexibly responding126

Chapter 8 Rescue Simulation: Disaster Preparation Practices

Question 1: If you were asked to deal with a huge amount of water-damaged materials, what risks of the materials would you firstfocus on?

Part 3(1) Mould on the material(2) Mud stains on the material(3) Odour resulting from decay(4) Moisture absorbed by the material(5) Others:

Question 2: Based on the risk you focused on in Q1, what work goals
would you set?
(1) Goals of "rescue": what and to what extent do you respond?

(2) Points to keep in mind for temporary storage

Question 3: What methods do you envision to achieve the goals ofQ2? Work out specific work procedures.

Fig. 5127

For summarizing group opinion
Question 1: If you were asked to deal with a huge amount of water-damaged materials, what risks of the materials would you first focus on?

Question 2: Based on the risk you focused on in Q1, what work goals
would you set?

Question 3: What methods do you envision to achieve the goals of Q2?
Work out specific work procedures.

Fig. 6128

Chapter 8 Rescue Simulation: Disaster Preparation Practices

Fig. 8

Part 3Fig. 7

while respecting their experience and achievements and presents the need for acomprehensive review considering various opinions and methods depending on
the situation.
After commenting on each opinion, the facilitator explains the basic conceptof the process from rescue to first aid, summarizing the overall discussion. Inworkshops, the author presupposes the concepts introduced in Parts 1 and 2 ofthis book. Based on the concepts, the facilitator reviews the work to identify safer
and more effective processes, showing them to the participants with samples.
Finally, the participants confirm which stage in the overall disaster preparation
process the work practised during the workshop belongs to.

Conclusion: Experiencing and Validating Failures
The workshop aims to allow participants to examine and discuss proactively
and to acquire ideas on the work process planning for damaged material rescue
and the selection of necessary skills. When we conduct a workshop, we focus
on confirming what role the knowledge and skills possessed by the participants
can play in the actual work site rather than on delivering a one-way lecture.
Indeed, sometimes participants damage the sample materials during examinationand practice, but failures enable them to verify the causes by themselves and towork out solutions through mutual discussion. Experiencing failures that cannot
be experienced in the actual field and learning lessons from them are important
opportunities in a workshop.
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In the future, it would be ideal if a curriculum to develop the ability to
manage a series of work related to material rescue is provided in university education and training programs for local government officials and museum curators.
In addition, it is also necessary to cultivate the ability to deal comprehensively
with diverse materials that are not limited to paper-based materials: we need todiscuss and deepen the methodology of material rescue training.

References
AMANO Masashi. “Shiryohozon no ninaite to gijutsu wo tsunagu [Linking Conservation
Practitioners and Technology]”, in: Chiikirekishibunkakeisho gaidobukku [Guidebook forCommunity Hisorical Culture Inheritance]. Bungaku Report, 2022.
AMANO Masahi. “Kamibaitaishiryo no Kyusai wo soteishita shimyureshon wakushoppu nokento to zissen [Study and Practice of Simulated Workshops for Paper-Based Materials
Rescue]”, Poster presentation at the 45th Congress of the Japan Society for Conservationof Cultural Property, 25 Jun 2023.
KOHDZUMA Yohsei, TATEISHI Toru, and KODANI Ryusuke (eds). Nyumon
daisaigaijidai no bunkazaibosai [Introduction to Cultural Property Disaster Prevention inthe Age of Great Disasters]. Douseisha, 2023.
MATSUSHITA Masakazu and KONO Mio (eds). Suisonshiryo wo suku [Rescuing WaterDamaged Materials]. Iwata-shoin, 2009.

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