Climate change poses serious threats to memory institutions, such as libraries and archives, since these institutions, due to the increase in natural disasters such as fires, floods, hurricanes or tornadoes, face severe risks that threaten to destroy the documentary heritage they preserve. The vulnerability of these institutions, in part, is due to the lack of resources and protocols to protect fragile documents. Also, since risk management usually prioritizes the protection of life and property, emergency first response institutions are often unaware of the fundamental role they could play in protecting documentary heritage in crisis situations.

Faced with the challenges outlined above, the UNESCO Regional Office for Central America, Colombia and Mexico organized the conference “Exploring the Role of Firefighters and First Responders in the Rescue and Protection of Documentary Heritage in Times of Crisis”, held on December 5 and 6, at the premises of the Cultural Institute of Mexico, located in San José, Costa Rica. This event was framed within the Memory of the World Program, a UNESCO initiative, and organized with the support of the Coordination Center for Disaster Prevention in Central America and the Dominican Republic (CEPREDENAC), the National Memory of the World Committee of Costa Rica, the Faculty of Education of the University of Costa Rica (UCR), the Organization of American Firefighters (OBA) and the Cultural Emergency Response (CER) organization.

The activity brought together some 100 international, regional and national delegates and was aimed at raising awareness among key actors and fostering collaboration between memory institutions and first responders. The invited audience included the participation of fire departments, the Red Cross, emergency response systems and Ministries of Culture of Central America. The event was also attended by university students (library science, history, etc.), university authorities and representatives of archives, libraries and organizations involved in the protection of the region's documentary heritage.

During the conference, speakers and participants exchanged experiences and best practices at both the regional and international levels on key issues for the protection of documentary heritage, such as: 1. Attention to complex emergencies and rescue operations; 2. Regional experiences and best practices in the care of documentary heritage; 3. At the end of the event, participants developed frameworks for national plans and concrete recommendations to ensure the protection of documentary heritage in the region. 

To follow up on the conference, the development of action plans and the recommendations generated during the activity, UNESCO, together with the Organization of American Firefighters (OBA), will hold the first meeting of the Regional Alliance of Firefighters and First Responders to Protect and Rescue Documentary Heritage. This alliance was presented during the conference and aims to foster and promote the protection of documentary heritage in first response institutions in the region and is a space to promote the development of joint actions and initiatives.