The first consideration must always be the safety of staff and patrons. If an emergency arises when the building is open, a well thought-out evacuation plan will save time and anxiety. Local police and fire officials can help with this. In some cases, the most urgent thing will be to shut off electricity or turn off the water supply. Everyone should know how to reach the building maintenance staff. When many areas of the library or museum are affected, the director or other senior staff member must decide salvage priorities. If the emergency occurs when the institution is closed, it is important to be able to reach people who are familiar with the physical plant as well as staff who can make decisions. This is when planning begins to pay off.

After the affected part of the building has been evacuated, it is time to assemble the response team. The list of persons to summon should be in the disaster plan as well as posted in various areas of the museum or library. As people start responding, the head of the response team will begin to assign tasks to each.