[MSN] Lessons From the Washington D.C. Library Fire

[Museum Security Network Mailing list]

Lessons From a Library Fire

Saturday, May 5, 2007; A16



I was astounded to read in the May 2 front-page article "Across D.C., Dozens
of Hydrants Are Broken" that "fire and union officials say the faulty
hydrants often aren't discovered until a fire breaks out, as was the case in
Georgetown" at the library fire. Later the article explained that repair of
the hydrants is the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority's responsibility.

The responsibility for repairing hydrants may be WASA's. However, the
responsibility to know which hydrants are bad or good lies with the D.C.
fire department.

I worked my way through college as a firefighter elsewhere. A large part of
our "between calls" time was spent checking the hydrants in our district. We
were obligated to test the flow and pressure of each hydrant every two
months. We recorded the results on a map, so that the company commander knew
where to find a good hydrant long before we pulled up to a fire.

I walk by a D.C. fire station every morning these days. Those firefighters
are out there diligently testing and cleaning their equipment, as every good
fire company should. But what about the hydrants? Is knowing that they have
a functioning hydrant less important than knowing that they have a
functioning ladder or siren?

DENNIS DILLMAN

Washington

.

I hope that the administrators and staff of the Martin Luther King Jr.
Memorial Library downtown read Sean Steele's May 3 letter, "An Avoidable
Library Fire," about cluttered District public libraries and fire hazards,
because they've been propping open the clearly marked fire doors for years.

GARY GOLDBERG

Silver Spring

.

Thankfully, no lives were lost in the fire at the Georgetown public library
on April 30, but we were not completely spared. Hand-colored maps of
Georgetown in the 1870s, a painting of Key Bridge and a document signed by
Francis Scott Key, all historically important objects, were threatened by
the fire. Across the nation, similar small institutions hold collections
that tell the stories of local communities and our nation's history.

A report by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services and Heritage
Preservation identified emergency planning, environmental and storage
conditions, staffing, and funding as aspects of collections stewardship that
have the greatest needs. If these needs are not addressed, many collections
are at risk for damage or loss.

In June, library and museum representatives from each state will meet here
to launch a nationwide conservation initiative. We are committed to raising
awareness of the need to protect library and museum collections -- because
they are our collective collections, too.

ANNE-IMELDA RADICE

Director

U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services

Washington

http://www.washingtonpost.com/