REALM Project

Crisis management planning: Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

The mission of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) is to “Inspire curiosity through engaging science learning experiences, foster experimentation and the exchange of ideas, and stimulate informed action.” Step inside the glass doors of OMSI and that mission comes to life. Here, visitors can become dinosaur hunters looking for the telltale signs of a T. rex, explorers who discover how light and shadows work and dodge alarm-triggering lasers, and engineers who can launch water rockets sky high and solve tricky puzzles. OMSI has been in its current spot along the Willamette River since 1992, with big neon signs and a color-changing tower that are easily visible from nearby highways, bridges, and neighborhoods, as well as an IMAX theater that features both educational and blockbuster shows, all of which help to sustain OMSI as a Portland fixture.

The museum offers programming and learning opportunities both in and out of the building to further its mission and situate the museum as a learning center in the community: Summer camps and outdoor schools both on the Oregon coast and on the inland plains; community programs such as overnights and field trips, outreach programs in schools, and much more, all with the larger goal of weaving together formal and informal learning through play and exploration. The museum also offers events for young professionals, such as 21-and-over nights featuring local breweries and corporate events. OMSI is committed to making its programs and opportunities available to all, through a range of accessibility and affordability programs for families in the community.

Crisis management

Grant Vondrachek, the Safety, Health, and Security Manager at OMSI, aims to be prepared for anything that could occur at and impact OMSI and its staff and visitors, whether it’s an active shooter situation inside or outside the building, lockouts and lockdowns, earthquakes, missing persons, etc. This flexibility and proactivity, familiar to other cultural heritage institutions, is evident in the ways Grant is continually developing and refining trainings for staff and measures for maintaining calm for visitors during difficult situations.

Staff education begins with new-hire training and a building tour that tries to balance fun with pertinent information (e.g., “this is the cheapest soda vending machine; here’s where to fill up your water bottle”). Then, there are two annual trainings, held on Mondays when the museum is closed, in which the staff gather to practice for and learn about situations like the ones listed above. These trainings have changed and evolved over the years to accommodate staff wellbeing, particularly following the COVID-19 lockdown. The trainings are split into virtual sessions with the presentation part, and then in-person activities are set up as stations in the building, one for each situation, such as active shooter, earthquakes, evacuations, lockdowns, etc. At each station, members of the safety committee members facilitated discussion through Q&A. The committee members debriefed later to develop an FAQ for staff based on the information presented at each station. This station model enables staff to get out of their offices and into the museum itself, as one station might be in the restaurant, another in the lobby, etc.

Grant acknowledged that sometimes these trainings can be intense, and so he and his team prioritize the wellbeing of the museum staff during these trainings. However, they also know from talking with outside counselors that it’s important for staff to have the necessary information to be able to provide a safe and secure learning environment for visitors, especially under pressure. For that reason, they strongly encourage staff to attend training and be present for as much as they are able, with the understanding that they can step out if needed. Grant provides a counselor through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), both following real-life incidents and during training, to encourage staff to talk and share what they’re experiencing in live sessions. Additionally, Grant has implemented breathing exercises as a component of the training, with the hope that staff will use the exercises on their own as needed. Through these steps—reflection and revision, prioritizing mental health while also presenting critical information—Grant and his team hope to prepare staff for what may come.

Sometimes a crisis can involve the stability of the facility itself, impacted by an outside threat. Grant pointed to a museum closure, triggered by a flood in 1996, that resulted in the development and implementation of a flood plan and a FEMA grant that funded a new pump system in the basement. Because the museum is located near the river, flooding is likely to happen again, so regular tests are conducted in which they close the smaller pumps (red ones in the photo below), let the water level rise in the basement, and then test the larger pump to make sure it can evacuate the excess water. In this way, Grant and his team can be sure the building will be ready for another flooding event.

The museum has also faced closures due to combined wildfire smoke and extreme heat, which affect the HVAC system and visitor safety. These climate change-related factors will be an ongoing concern for the building, according to Grant.

Communication is a key component of Grant’s work, particularly with staff but also with visitors inside the building. During an emergent situation, Grant and his staff prioritize sending museum staff short texts saying things like, “lockdown, lockdown.” The texts follow a script with the intent of first communicating “what” and “what to do,” rather than “why,” to emphasize the importance of following directions to ensure safety. Next, there is an email recap that provides staff with more information on what is taking place and how to reassure and communicate with visitors. For instance, “There's police activity, or the police notified us that we need to go into a lockdown due to a situation just off of our campus.” This way, staff understand what is taking place, and what to say to visitors, and that visitors have just enough information to understand that they need to take care of themselves and their families.

Grant also pointed out that he and his staff do their best to manage staff expectations, because not all information can be shared with everyone. He has fielded questions such as, “If I hear lockdown, how long do I have to help visitors versus how long do I need to think of myself? I don't know where the incident is or what’s happening.” Grant responds with, “You might be able to be fine, but we always just tell staff that they have to prioritize their own safety Visitors have shared their appreciation for the steps museum staff have taken to protect them, which helps to demonstrate the effectiveness of the training. The museum also has a PA system that they use to share information during emergencies; however, the system needs an upgrade because the announcements can be hard to hear and understand in a crisis. The communication with museum staff can be more effective in terms of sharing the necessary information and guiding people to safe locations.

Reiterating the themes of being proactive and flexible, Grant emphasized the importance of “always being open in your training to revision. These incidents don't happen that often, so it’s important to have a recap and ask, ‘How can we make this better next time?’ There's always going to be things that don't go right,” however, by having procedures that are not too rigid, the staff can adjust and shift depending on what is required and feel equipped to handle the situation.

When looking to the future, Grant is optimistic and sees opportunities for the staff training to continue to expand and evolve to meet ongoing needs. He mentioned that the current political climate might lead to potentially difficult interactions with visitors. He is looking at holding an all-staff meeting to discuss this and brainstorm what resources can be provided to prepare and protect staff going forward. Additionally, the museum has received a small grant to purchase emergency kits that can be used by the community when needed. Finally, OMSI, which spans 20 acres, will be expanding its buildings to develop that space, which presents new opportunities and challenges for health and safety when a visitor might be in crisis at one building and a staff member is at a building that is not nearby. Nevertheless, as Grant puts it, “OMSI is going to be more than a museum in the future,” and his philosophy of reflection, revision, and flexibility will likely help guide that transition.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Look for ways to support and guide your community through difficult situations, whether it’s through a spirit of collaboration and connection or through regular communication. When your community knows to rely on your institution for information, then you are succeeding in being an anchor in the community.
2. Investigate ways to develop and implement relevant training that can empower and inform your staff to handle common situations. By doing this, you are helping to ensure that your whole institution is committed to safety and well-being.
3. Look for ways to be present out in the community, at events and activities that are meaningful to the community. In this way, you are building awareness and visibility and learning more about the community you serve. Then when a crisis occurs, you have laid a solid foundation on which you can implement processes and procedures that can help keep the community safe.

Other examples

Read other examples of how libraries, archives, and museums are approaching crisis management and planning for disasters.

Explore now