User Manual

14
Siemens Switzerland Ltd
Building Technologies Division
A pragmatic approach to this process is detailed in the article “Fire safety and heritage buildings” by Peter Barker
[4] and published on the website of the NBS (National Building Specification) - an organization owned by the
Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). The proposed procedure breaks the process down into four basic
phases, which are summarized below:
· Preparation (document the current situation)
o Obtain accurate plans of the building together with all available information relating to existing
fire safety measures. This should include compartment lines, exit routes, room usage, hidden
voids (e.g. disused chimney flues, goods lifts, panel infills etc.), potential ignition sources and
flammable materials. These plans will form an integral part of the procedure as they can be
successively updated to reflect any new measures that are implemented.
· Prevention (assess fire risk)
o Identify potential ignition sources and flammable materials. Removing them or improving the
way such materials are stored, can greatly reduce the risk of fire. Such improvements can often
be made easily with minimal impact on the fabric of the building.
o When looking at preventing a fire in a historical building these are just some of the questions
one should be asking:
§ When were the electrical installations last tested?
§ Have all appliances (both fixed and portable) been tested for safety?
§ Are all curtains, tapestries and soft furnishings a suitable distance from potential
ignition sources such as halogen lamps?
§ Are waste and flammable materials stored in an appropriate way?
· Protection
o Identify what fire protection measures would be appropriate and assess their effectiveness in
reducing the risks.
§ Automatic fire detection system (detector types etc.)
§ Alarming infrastructure
§ Evacuation concept
§ Measures to restrict the spread of fire
§ Escape routes (emergency lighting, signage)
§ Extinguishing infrastructure (portable extinguishers, automatic extinguishing systems)
· Management
o To ensure long term effectiveness a detailed fire safety management plan must be created and
strictly enforced:
§ Proposed measures should be regularly reviewed
§ Maintenance schedules should be established and adhered to
§ Regular staff training and fire drills should be conducted
§ The fire risk assessment should be reviewed regularly
1.5.3. Fire protection concept
Based on the results of the fire risk assessment, a fire protection concept should be developed which describes all
protection measures which help:
· Reduce the risk of fire breaking out
· Prevent the spread of flames and smoke
· Ensure that all occupants are evacuated safely
· Enable the emergency services to take action
1.5.4. Disaster recovery plan
The first priority is obviously to prevent fire occurring and suppress any potential fire in the incipient stage of its
development. However, all museums should also have a disaster recovery plan. In addition to a comprehensive list
of telephone numbers (key members of staff, utility and security companies etc.) a priority list should be
established stating which artifacts should be moved first, how they should be handled and where they should be
moved to.