INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FORCULTURAL PROPERTY PROTECTION
News
Reposted from EMR-ISAC
April is Autism Acceptance Month. Throughout April, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) and many national and international advocacy groups have been honoring the contributions and recognizing the needs of people on the autism spectrum.
Autism awareness is essential for all members of the community, but it is especially important for first responders. People with autism may have difficulty understanding and interpreting social cues, exhibit sensory overwhelm and sensitivities, and have unique ways of processing information. People with autism also have higher-than-average mortality rates, often from accidental death such as drowning or being hit by a car, or from medical causes, in particular epilepsy.
The 2024 Fire Department Instructor’s Conference (FDIC) International, which just wrapped up last week, featured a classroom session, Autism Awareness for First Responders. The Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS) previewed this classroom session in March. The article provides tips on communication, performing a medical or trauma assessment on a patient with autism, and awareness information on wandering. Wandering, or elopement, among the autism community is of particular concern for first responders.
Additionally, the White House’s proclamation of April 2, 2024, as Autism Acceptance Day, highlighted the reauthorization of Kevin and Avonte’s Law, which was so named to honor the memory of Kevin Wills and Avonte Oquendo, two boys with autism who tragically perished after wandering away from supervised settings. This law will allow for the expansion of training for first responders and caregivers.
Kevin and Avonte’s Law provides the foundation for the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Home Safe program, which released a suite of resources in September 2023 for first responders:
Emergency response agencies may also want to explore best practices for response to individuals with autism that are being adopted by other agencies. EMS1 recently featured two emergency medical services (EMS) agencies’ best practices. Gold Cross ambulances in Salt Lake City, Utah, introduced specialized kits for paramedics in its ambulances designed to enhance their response to patients with autism. Earlier this year, a Minnesota family with an autistic son developed ‘sensory emergency kits’ for police, fire, and other first responder personnel to help them interact with kids and adults with autism.
These publications can be used by all first responders for training or updating standard operating procedures, guidelines, and plans related to response to incidents involving individuals with autism.
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Reposted from CISA/DHS
Ransomware continues to evolve as a scourge on critical services, businesses, and communities worldwide, causing costly incidents that are increasingly destructive and disruptive. Based on recent industry reporting, it costs businesses an average of $1.85 million to recover from a ransomware attack.3 In addition, 80% of victims who paid a ransom were targeted and victimized again by these criminals.4 The economic, technical, and reputational impacts of ransomware incidents, throughout the initial disruption and, at times, extended recovery, continue to pose a challenge for organizations large and small.
To directly reduce the attack surface and impact of ransomware attacks, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) Ransomware Vulnerability Warning Pilot (RVWP) focuses on proactive risk reduction through direct communication with federal government, state, local, tribal, territorial (SLTT) government, and critical infrastructure entities to prevent threat actors from accessing and deploying ransomware on their networks. Aligned with the Joint Ransomware Task Force, this pilot provides timely notification to critical infrastructure organizations to mitigate vulnerabilities and protect their networks and systems by using existing services, data sources, technologies, and authorities.
A key service used for warning organizations of ransomware-related vulnerabilities is our Cyber Hygiene Vulnerability Scanning, which monitors internet connected devices for known vulnerabilities and is available to any organization. Organizations participating in this no-cost service typically reduce their risk and exposure by 40% within the first 12 months and most see improvements in the first 90 days. Because the service looks for exposed assets, whether planned or inadvertent, it identifies vulnerabilities that would otherwise go unmanaged. For its use in support of RVWP, it informs organizations of those vulnerabilities commonly associated with known ransomware exploitation.
Reposted from Cultural Safeguard Alliance
We are excited to launch the Cultural Property Protection 2024 Benchmarking Survey! Developed by the Center for Audience Research & Evaluation at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, this survey is tailored specifically for cultural property protection and was informed by the American Alliance of Museum's surveys and general facilities reports.
The survey aims to gather crucial insights for the security, public safety, and protection departments in cultural properties. Your valuable input will be instrumental in enhancing the safeguarding of cultural assets as well as ensuring the safety and security of these institutions. Your expertise is key to preserving our cultural legacy!
In addition to participating in the survey, we hope that you will share this survey with your colleagues at other cultural property sites. The more institutions that participate, the better this information can help our field. Please limit survey responses to one per site/institution.
The survey will close Friday, May 24th. We will take a couple of weeks to analyze the results, which will be presented at the IFCPP Conference in Chicago this June! Sometime after the conference the survey results will be available to CSA Members (free to join) on the website - www.culturalsafeguardalliance.org.
Cultural Property Protection 2024 Benchmarking Survey
survey.co1.qualtrics.com
Reposted from American Alliance of Museums
(From American Alliance of Museums)
Standards Regarding Collections Stewardship
· The museum owns, exhibits or uses collections that are appropriate to its mission.
· The museum legally, ethically and effectively manages, documents, cares for and uses the collections.
· The museum conducts collections-related research according to appropriate scholarly standards.
· The museum strategically plans for the use and development of its collections.
· The museum, guided by its mission, provides public access to its collections while ensuring their preservation.
· The museum allocates its space and uses its facilities to meet the needs of the collections, audience and staff.
· The museum has appropriate measures in place to ensure the safety and security of people, its collections and/or objects, and the facilities it owns or uses.
· The museum takes appropriate measures to protect itself against potential risk and loss.
Purpose and Importance
Stewardship is the careful, sound and responsible management of that which is entrusted to a museum’s care. Possession of collections incurs legal, social and ethical obligations to provide proper physical storage, management and care for the collections and associated documentation, as well as proper intellectual control. Collections are held in trust for the public and made accessible for the public’s benefit. Effective collections stewardship ensures that the objects the museum owns, borrows, holds in its custody and/or uses are available and accessible to present and future generations. A museum’s collections are an important means of advancing its mission and serving the public.
Implementation
Museums are expected to: plan strategically and act ethically with respect to collections stewardship matters; legally, ethically and responsibly acquire, manage and dispose of collection items as well as know what collections are in its ownership/custody, where they came from, why it has them and their current condition and location; and provide regular and reasonable access to, and use of, the collections/objects in its custody.
Achieving this standard requires thorough understanding of collections stewardship issues to ensure thoughtful and responsible planning and decision making. With this in mind, national standards emphasize systematic development and regular review of policies, procedures, practices and plans for the goals, activities and needs of the collections.
How Does A Museum Assess Whether Its Collections and/or Objects Are Appropriate for Its Mission?
This is determined by comparing the institution’s mission—how it formally defines its unique identity and purpose, and its understanding of its role and responsibility to the public—to two things: (1) the collections used by the institution; and (2) its policies, procedures and practices regarding the development and use of collections (see also the Standards Regarding Institutional Mission Statements).
A review of a museum’s collections stewardship practices examines: whether the mission statement or collections documents (e.g., collections management policy, collections plan, etc.) are clear enough to guide collections stewardship decisions; whether the collections owned by the museum, and objects loaned and exhibited at the museum, fall within the scope of the stated mission and collections documents; and whether the mission and other collections stewardship-related documents are in alignment and guide the museum’s practices.
Assessing Collections Stewardship
There are different ways to manage, house, secure, document and conserve collections, depending on their media and use, and the museum’s own discipline, size, physical facilities, geographic location and financial and human resources. Therefore, one must consider many facets of an institution’s operations that, taken together, demonstrate the effectiveness of its collections stewardship policies, procedures and practices, and assess them in light of varying factors. For instance, museums may have diverse types of collections categorized by different levels of purpose and use—permanent, educational, archival, research and study, to name a few—that may have different management and care needs. These distinctions should be articulated in collections stewardship-related policies and procedures. In addition, different museum disciplines may have different collections stewardship practices, issues and needs related to their specific field. Museums are expected to follow the standards and best practices appropriate to their respective discipline and/or museum type as applicable.
The standards require that:
· A current, approved, comprehensive collections management policy is in effect and actively used to guide the museum’s stewardship of its collections.
· The human resources are sufficient, and the staff have the appropriate education, training and experience to fulfill the museum’s stewardship responsibilities and the needs of the collections.
· Staff are delegated responsibility to carry out the collections management policy.
· A system of documentation, records management and inventory is in effect to describe each object and its acquisition (permanent or temporary), current condition and location and movement into, out of and within the museum.
· The museum regularly monitors environmental conditions and takes proactive measures to mitigate the effects of ultraviolet light, fluctuations in temperature and humidity, air pollution, damage, pests and natural disasters on collections.
· An appropriate method for identifying needs and determining priorities for conservation/care is in place.
· Safety and security procedures and plans for collections in the museum’s custody are documented, practiced and addressed in the museum’s emergency/disaster preparedness plan.
· Regular assessment of, and planning for, collection needs (development, conservation, risk management, etc.) takes place and sufficient financial and human resources are allocated for collections stewardship.
· Collections care policies and procedures for collections on exhibition, in storage, on loan and during travel are appropriate, adequate and documented.
· The scope of a museum’s collections stewardship extends to both the physical and intellectual control of its property.
· Ethical considerations of collections stewardship are incorporated into the appropriate museum policies and procedures.
· Considerations regarding future collecting activities are incorporated into institutional plans and other appropriate policy documents.
Reposted from Apple
Exciting news! The Emergency Response and Salvage (ERS) App is back for iOS users! Download the app from the Apple Store here: apps.apple.com/us/app/emergency-response-and-salvage/...
The Android version is coming soon; I'll post the link here when it's ready for download.
Law enforcement agencies across four states were left scrambling following reports of major 911 outages that saw millions unable to contact authorities late Wednesday, April 17. Many of the outages — reported in Nebraska, Nevada, South Dakota and Texas — were restored by the late evening. So far, there's no indication that the 911 outages overnight were caused by a cyberattack or other malicious act, law enforcement officials told NBC News on Thursday.
The National Security Agency (NSA) is releasing a Cybersecurity Information Sheet (CSI) on Monday, April 15, Deploying AI Systems Securely: Best Practices for Deploying Secure and Resilient AI Systems. The CSI is intended to support National Security System owners and Defense Industrial Base companies that will be deploying and operating AI systems designed and developed by an external entity.
The CSI is the first release from NSA’s Artificial Intelligence Security Center (AISC), in partnership with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Australian Signals Directorate’s Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, the New Zealand National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC-NZ), and United Kingdom National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC-UK).
While intended for national security purposes, the guidance has application for anyone bringing AI capabilities into a managed environment, especially those in high-threat, high-value environments.
Reposted from EMR_ISAC
On April 16, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced more than $1.8 billion in funding for eight fiscal year (FY) 2024 preparedness grant programs. These grant programs provide critical funding to help state, local, tribal and territorial (SLTT) officials prepare for, prevent, protect against and respond to acts of terrorism and disasters.
DHS continues to emphasize six national priority areas in the FY 2024 grant cycle: cybersecurity; soft targets and crowded places; intelligence and information sharing; domestic violent extremism; community preparedness and resilience; and election security.
Reposted from The Guardian
Firefighters at Copenhagen’s historic former stock exchange have been battling a huge blaze that has engulfed the 17th-century building’s roof, toppled its distinctive spire and threatened one of Denmark’s most valuable art collections.“We are witnessing a terrible spectacle. The Bourse is on fire,” the Chamber of Commerce, which occupies the building next to Christiansborg Palace, the seat of the Danish parliament, wrote on X. “Everyone is asked to stay away.”Dramatic footage showed huge plumes of black smoke rising from the Dutch Renaissance-style building, which was undergoing renovation and clad in scaffolding. Police said they had blocked off a main road and part of the city centre.Copenhagen’s fire service said the blaze was reported at 7.30am. The extensive scaffolding around the building was making it significantly harder to tackle the flames, it said, while the Bourse’s copper roof was trapping the heat.“The extinguishing work is very difficult,” said a fire service spokesperson, Jakob Vedsted Andersen, adding that there were substantial areas of the building that firefighters could not yet access because it was too dangerous.Parts of the roof had collapsed and the fire had spread to several floors, Vedsted said. About 120 people were fighting the fire but only about 40% of it was under control and the operation was expected to continue for at least 24 hours, he said.About 90 conscripts from the Royal Life Guards, an army unit, were also helping to cordon off the site and secure valuables inside, local media reported.The Bourse, commissioned by King Christian IV and built between 1619 and 1640, was topped by a 56-metre (184ft) spire in the shape of the tails of four dragons entwined. The building housed Denmark’s stock exchange until 1974.The dragons on the roof were seen as symbolically protecting the exchange from enemies, as well as from fire, the Chamber of Commerce said on its website. The spire also had three crowns at the top, symbolising the kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden.Ulla Kjaer, a senior researcher at the National Museum of Denmark, described the spire as “absolutely iconic”, adding: “There is no other like it in the world.”King Frederik said Denmark’s royal family “woke up to the sad sight” of “part of our architectural heritage” being destroyed, while the prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, said “irreplaceable cultural heritage” and “a piece of Danish history” was on fire.The deputy prime minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, described the blaze as “our own Notre-Dame moment”, referring to the devastating blaze that destroyed the roof and spire of the medieval Paris cathedral in April 2019, five years ago almost to the day.Denmark’s culture minister, Jakob Engel-Schmidt, said on X that 400 years of Danish cultural heritage were in flames. It was “touching to see Bourse staff, emergency services and passing Copenhageners … saving art treasures”, he said.People were seen rushing in and out of the building carrying works of art to safety, and Danish media reported an annexe of the parliament and several ministries nearby, including the finance ministry, had been evacuated.The head of the Chamber of Commerce was among those helping to save historic paintings from the building. The pictures were carried to the nearby parliament and the Danish National Archives, which sent 25 staff to help with the rescue operation.“We have been able to rescue a lot,” a visibly moved Brian Mikkelsen told reporters, adding that many works had already been removed from the Bourse for the extensive renovation. The blaze was nonetheless “a national disaster”, he said.The Bourse holds one of the country’s most valuable collections of art, including the iconic From the Copenhagen Stock Exchange, by the 19th-century Danish-Norwegian artist Peder Severin Krøyer, which was carried to safety by eight people.Finished in 1895, the painting shows a large group of men in coat-tails standing in the exchange hall. It was paid for by the people portrayed, with those in the front having paid 550 Danish kroner to be the most visible, and cheaper rates for those at the back.Kasper Nielsen, of the auction house Bruun Rasmussen, told local media that Krøyer’s picture was worth millions of kroner, adding: “If, God forbid, the entire Stock Exchange burns down, we are looking at the loss of top-end, inalienable cultural heritage.”Christiansborg Palace has burned down several times. Most recently, a fire broke out in an annexe of the parliament known as Proviantgården in 1990. Police asked people to avoid the inner part of the city.Tommy Laursen, of the Copenhagen police, said it was too early to say what caused the Bourse fire and police would not be able to enter the building for “a few days”.French investigators believe the massive blaze at Notre-Dame – which was also undergoing major renovation at the time – was caused by either a cigarette end or an electrical short circuit.Most of the cathedral’s lead-clad timber roof was destroyed but the vaulted stone ceiling prevented massive interior damage and allowed priceless relics and artwork to be rescued. Notre-Dame is due to reopen in December.
Reposted from National Trust for Historic Preservation
Mark your calendars for PastForward in New Orleans, October 28-30! The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s annual conference will explore the evolving practice of preservation in one of the country’s most historic cities this fall.
Registration will go live in July but you can start planning today. Learn more about registration rates and hotel information.
Rates start at $500 for Forum members who will receive early access to Field Studies–it makes sense to join Forum today!
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