Building a Disaster Response Team with Limited Staff and Volunteers

For many heritage institutions in Georgia, the idea of a “disaster response team” can feel unrealistic. When you have a small staff, or rely heavily on volunteers, it may seem impossible to assign multiple roles, write detailed plans, or train a large response group.

The reality is that most disaster response teams are small, and many are built from people already wearing multiple hats. A functional disaster response team is less about size and more about clarity, cross-training, and realistic expectations.

The start of the year is an ideal time to reset priorities, review lessons learned, and build a response structure that actually works for your institution.

What a Disaster Response Team Really Is (and Isn’t)

A disaster response team does not require:

• A large staff

• Specialized conservation training

• Separate personnel for every task

  
  

Instead, it does require:

• Clearly defined roles

• Backups for critical functions

• Staff and volunteers who know what is expected of them

At many Georgia heritage institutions, one person may fill two or three response roles. That can work well, as long as it’s intentional and documented.

Start with Functions, Not Job Titles

Rather than assigning roles based on job descriptions, focus on core response functions. These functions exist regardless of institution size:

Core Disaster Response Functions

• Team Lead / Decision Maker

• Facilities & Building Liaison

• Collections & Salvage Coordinator

• Communications & Documentation Lead

• Health & Safety Monitor

At a small or volunteer-run site, this might look like:

• One staff member serving as both Team Lead and Communications Lead

• A facilities volunteer acting as Facilities Liaison

• A collections staff member coordinating salvage while documenting damage

  
  

Assign Primary and Backup Roles (Even If It’s the Same People)

Every function should have:

• A primary person

• A backup person

In small teams, the backup may be:

• A board member

• A trusted volunteer

• A partner organization contact

This matters because disasters don’t happen on a schedule. Illness, evacuation, or power loss can remove your primary contact at the worst moment.

Tip: If one person fills multiple roles, avoid assigning them both decision-making and hands-on salvage at the same time. Someone needs to keep the big picture in view.

Build Around Availability, Not Ideal Scenarios

Many Georgia institutions rely on:

• Volunteers who are only available on weekends

• Staff who live in different counties

• Board members who are remote

A realistic response team plan should answer:

• Who can respond within the first 24 hours?

• Who can assist after conditions stabilize?

• Who can help remotely with documentation, calls, or coordination?

Past response efforts across the globe have proven that staggering responders schedules to ensure proper rest and recovery, rather than full immediate response by all responders, were typically better able to sustain recovery efforts over a longer period of time.

Train for Confidence, Not Perfection

You don’t need formal disaster simulations to prepare a response team. Effective low-cost options include:

• Short tabletop discussions during staff meetings

• Reviewing one response role at a time

• Walking through “what if” scenarios for likely Georgia hazards (storms, flooding, power outages)

  

Focus training on:

• Who makes decisions

• Who communicates with whom

• What not to do during early response

Confidence reduces hesitation—and hesitation can cost time during salvage.

Document the Team Clearly (and Keep It Simple)

Your disaster response team documentation should fit on one or two pages and include:

• Names and contact information

• Assigned functions

• Backup contacts

• Where the plan is stored (digital and physical)

Avoid overcomplicating this section. In an emergency, clarity beats completeness. If you haven't already created a Pocket Response Plan (PReP, head over to the Council of State Archivists to download a copy of it.

Revisit and Revise Every Year

Staff turnover, volunteer changes, and shifting responsibilities are normal—especially in smaller institutions. Make response team review a standing annual task, ideally before hurricane season begins.

Ask:

• Do these assignments still make sense?

• Have we added or lost key people?

• What did we learn from last year’s storms or incidents?

  
  

A Disaster Response Team That Fits Your Reality

A small or volunteer-based institution is not at a disadvantage, it just needs a response structure that reflects reality. By focusing on functions, backups, and realistic availability, Georgia heritage institutions can build disaster response teams that are practical, flexible, and effective. Strong planning now reduces confusion later, and gives your staff and volunteers the confidence to act when it matters most.