AIC's 53rd Annual Meeting

Fire risks pose a significant threat to cultural institutions’ collections. Hundreds of fires start every year in museums. Recent examples include the National Museum of Indonesia, Copenhagen’s Historic Stock Exchange, Brazil National Museum…

Some destroy entire collections, others cause irreparable damage, and most could be controlled or prevented.  

To improve preparedness and mitigate damage, a comprehensive Emergency Plan should be adopted with a complete operations plan that outline procedures for responding to fires. Collaborate with experts and conduct regular self-assessments to identify and minimize risks.  

In case of fire, damage is caused not only by the heat of the flames but also water and smoke. 

After the Notre-Dame Cathedral fire, the French National Association of Firefighters requested to conduct a study on protective tools for artwork, notably passive protective covers.   

Aside from this study conducted by the CSTB (Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment), a series of other experiments were made, including one from a Danish Cultural Institution and Fire Department.  

Those experiments are not limited to testing different materials and technologies (Tyvek, Aramid fibers, PU or Silicone coated fiberglass, aluminized fiberglass…), in laboratories, but also simulate real fire scenarios.    

Results from those experiments show that priority should be given to using passive protective covers with an aluminized material over traditional fire-retardant materials.   

These lightweight covers reflect up to 99% of radiant heat away from artwork, providing superior protection. During fire exercise, those covers have been shown to allow the artwork to stay below 40°C – 104°F and thus providing maximum protection in an environment that can reach more than 500°C – 932°F.  

By implementing these strategies, cultural institutions can mitigate fire risks and preserve valuable artifacts with minimum investment required in terms of infrastructure.   Additional measures, especially operational aspect and ease of handling are key at the time of using this material in an emergency, making passive covers a practical solution for cultural institutions.  

Proper training and involving all implied parties are required to optimize use of covers during an emergency and should be done on a regular basis in institutions.  

For the last six years, fire preparedness in France has been growing. 

Parties like the Government, the Ministry of Culture, Industry Associations, Cultural Institutions, Fire Departments, Specialist Consultants… have been raising awareness on the importance of this topic and implementing measures and tools to maximize chances to safeguard cultural heritage. This led France to being one of the most advanced countries on the topic.   

This session deep dives in the way Emergency Response in case of fire is approached in France, going through what Emergency Plans consist in, how are they constructed, the way they are implemented and how do cultural institutions make sure they get as ready as possible in case an emergency occurs to avoid and minimize damages on artwork.