Very soon it appeared that CFBB action and influence would be enhanced by the creation of local initiatives. After the seminar in Toulouse in 2005 a local section covering the South West of France was created. A section for the Paris area was created in 2008 and a third one in Normandy is in progress.

• GRAND SUD-OUEST Local Section

The first local section pf CFBB was created in Toulouse in June 2006 by Jocelyne Deschaux,  and Françoise Collanges, representing libraries and a museums. The section covers a large region including Midi-Pyrénées, Languedoc and Aquitaine, and gathers 15 institutions and 40 heritage professionals from all fields .

Contacts : section-sud-ouest/a/bouclier-bleu.fr

Goals : in the framework of CFBB , the main goals of the local section are thus defined :

-          risk prevention in the institutions conserving heritage : emergency plan, staff training, measures to fight disasters (equipment, staff)…

-          raising awareness among heritage professionals, city representatives, technicians and the public at large,

-          setting up of a preservation and heritage network, including lawyers and security professionals.

Work in progress : six working groups have been set up for local section members aiming at :             

• - helping to write emergency plans,
• - building up a training model for intervening when a disaster strikes,
• - setting up  lists of materials, suppliers, service providers and embettering mutual policies,
• - drawing up a survey to list heritage places to be preserved in the local section area,
• - collecting archives on former disasters that happened in the area,
• - informing the appropriate representatives in each township or department about the local section activities.
  

• PARIS Section 

EXPECTATION

It is expected that more local sections will be established in the near future in order to weave an efficient network throughout the country and work with a greater efficiency with all the actors concerned. Further contacts are being taken with ministries and emergency units and organisations (Fire brigades, Red Cross…) in order to strengthen links and develop activities.

So far, exchanges with other national Blue Shield Committees have been scarce , probably due to the language barrier. An effort will be made to better communicate with other Committees.