User Manual

41
Siemens Switzerland Ltd
Building Technologies Division
5.5. General recommendations
The research report “Manual Fire Extinguishing Equipment for Protection of Heritage” by Geir Jensen [5]
(published in support of the COST Action C17 “Built Heritage: Fire Loss to Historic Buildings”) provides the basis for
a number of the recommendations made in this section.
It is reasonable to assume that exhibition objects themselves are not generally the source of an embryonic fire.
Consequently there is no immediate risk that artifacts will be damaged by the extinguishing agent during the early
stages of a fire, when hand-held equipment is intended to be used.
Fire extinguishers As historical buildings and museums are open to the public, fire extinguishers
must always be provided: National fire codes (e.g. BGR 133) specify the type, size
and quantity of extinguishers required with regard to the floor area and danger
level of each location. It is important to provide an adequate number of fire
extinguishers, which should be installed throughout the building. They should be
mounted where they are clearly visible, easily accessible and at a convenient
height. Typically the extinguisher handle should be between 0.8 and 1.2 m from
the floor.
The extinguishing method that prevents re-ignition will in the end cause less
total damage. Foam extinguishers have proved themselves to be the most
effective for this purpose. Although they do not necessarily cause the least
secondary damage to artifacts, foam should be given preference over other
extinguishing agents. The weight of the extinguishers is also a factor that should
be taken into consideration during the selection process: the 6 liter extinguishers
are recommended.
Other types of extinguisher that need to be provided for special risk areas
include, for example, wet chemical extinguishers in the kitchens (for cooking oil
fires) and CO2 extinguishers in plant rooms (for electrical fires).
Fire hose reels Where access to water mains is available, the installation of fire hose reels should
be carefully considered as these have proved to be very effective and easy to use
by untrained persons. Care should be taken to ensure that the hoses are fitted
with nozzles that are appropriate to the locality.
Sprinkler systems When planning a sprinkler system, a choice must be made between partial
coverage and blanket coverage. In historical buildings partial coverage is more
common as a compromise must be found between maximum protection and the
impact on the fabric of the building.