Historic Churches 2023

10 BCD SPECIAL REPORT ON H ISTOR I C CHURCHE S 30th ANNUAL ED ITION be regularly cleared away to prevent these building up and creating another potential fire load. MITIGATING DAMAGE AND LOSS The installation of fire detection and extinguishing systems will diminish any damage and loss in a fire situation, as will the creation of emergency or salvage plans, including arrangements and directions for fighting fire and rescuing important items such as paintings and historic artefacts. Fire detection and extinguishing systems Detection systems come in a variety of complexities and should be designed to suit the types of services (for example, is incense involved?) and the non- ecclesiastical uses to which the church is put. The main advantages of installing a fire detection system are as follows. It gives out-of-hours protection and warning of an incident when the building is unoccupied. It provides protection for both the building and the people using it (life safety), including bell ringers and organists who may practice out of hours or have audibility issues. And it provides information on where the fire has broken out (if an addressable system is installed) to aid the local fire and rescue service. Historic England’s website and their ‘Technical Tuesday’ series of online webinars have further guidance on fire alarm systems and their individual components – see Historic England guidance below. In addition, all churches should have at least two portable fire extinguishers; one with water for putting out organic material fires and a carbon dioxide extinguisher for electrical fires. These should be checked and refilled annually. It is important that this equipment is easy to find and that people know how to use it. Emergency salvage planning Creating an emergency salvage plan gives the church the opportunity to liaise with the local fire and rescue service before any incident occurs. Doing this will ensure that the fire service is familiar with the church, the best access routes, where water hydrants or supplies are located, and which artefacts are to be removed. Ideally the salvage plan should include clear individual descriptions of each item, a photograph of each artefact, a location map of where it is normally kept and the best way to safely remove it. As a lot of historic churches contain paintings, hatchments, manuscripts and other key religious and historic artefacts, it is important that an order of priority is established so that the most important are removed first. Importance can be based upon monetary value or heritage or both. The plan can also include a list of all people to be contacted in the case of an emergency and their contact details. It is important that this is checked regularly to ensure it is kept up to date. Guidance on how to construct a plan can be found on the Historic England webpages. Although it is recognised that heritage churches have a limited scope for adaptation and alteration, there is much that a parochial church council can do to mitigate risk and opportunities for malicious acts. Although the risk of fire is small it is always advisable to take as many precautions as possible to prevent accidents and arson taking place. Good housekeeping and sensible safety measures will greatly help in reducing potential hazards. Historic England guidance Fire Alarms for Historic Buildings , http://bc-url.com/hc23-gf5 Designing, Installing and Maintaining a Fire Detection and Protection System , http://bc-url.com/hc23-gf6 Webinar on Fire Alarm Systems in Historic Buildings: Installation and Design , http://bc-url.com/hc23-gf7 Emergency Planning Advice , http://bc-url.com/hc23-gf8 Emergency Response Plans , http://bc-url.com/ hc23-gf9 GERALDINE O’FARRELL DipConHistEnv(RICS) BA(Hons) CEng FCIBSE FIET FSLL is one of Historic England’s senior building services engineers. She has worked for HE for 24 years and in the construction industry for over 50. She is the author of HE’s guidance on lighting, lightning and surge protection, fire protection and battery storage. All Saints’ in Mackworth, Derby which was almost completely destroyed by arson in 2020 (Photo: Leon Walsh)