Research project P4S/251/SAFE-CH (Research action P4S)
Cultural Heritage Institutions (CHIs) are highly vulnerable to crises such as armed conflict, fires, and floods, which can inflict irreversible damage on collections. Recent events – including the 2021 Belgian floods – have revealed a critical gap in disaster preparedness: the lack of accessible, properly equipped emergency storage facilities to temporarily house evacuated or at-risk heritage objects. This gap leads to delays, secondary damage (mould, salt formation, looting), and increased pressure on crisis teams.
SAFE-CH, the Strategic Emergency storage for Cultural Heritage project, aims to address this urgent need by developing a structured and adaptable methodology for planning, selecting, and managing emergency storage facilities dedicated to cultural heritage protection. Building on the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage’s (KIK-IRPA) extensive research in disaster risk management (CHrisis, FEDERESCUE, Rampenstrategie, Athena) and its studies on climate management and microclimates (Climate2Preserv, REFRESH), the project aligns with national and European priorities for safeguarding heritage in times of crisis.
Over two years, SAFE-CH pursues five main objectives:
1. Developing a scenario-based decision-making methodology to guide CHIs in choosing appropriate emergency response strategies tailored to different disaster types and scales.
2. Creating practical tools to help CHIs identify, select, and adapt emergency storage locations and organise the evacuation of movable heritage.
3. Testing and validating these tools at three case-study institutions.
4. Engaging professionals and non-specialists through a communication strategy that strengthens community involvement in heritage protection.
5. Ensuring long-term implementation through dissemination to Federal Scientific Institutions (FSIs), authorities, and international heritage and emergency management stakeholders.
Expected outcomes include:
- an emergency storage methodology;
- reflex sheets for object evacuation;
- a training module to test draft methods;
- tabletop exercises based on disaster scenarios;
- a community communication kit.
The project will culminate in a concise Emergency Storage Guide offering practical, action-oriented guidance to CHIs and first responders.
SAFE-CH will strengthen emergency preparedness across Belgian CHIs and FSIs, improve advisory services at KIK-IRPA, and contribute to national and international disaster management frameworks. It will also support compliance with international conventions such as the 1954 Hague Convention and national heritage risk management legislation.
