Historic Churches 2023

BCD SPECIAL REPORT ON H ISTOR I C CHURCHE S 30th ANNUAL ED ITION 9 The same issues of vigilance must be applied to temporary heaters used on buildings sites. No temporary services equipment must be left unattended or in a location likely to cause a fire. Additionally, all these types of apparatus must be switched off and isolated at the end of the working day. All projects involving what is known as ‘hot works’, such as the use of a blowtorch in lead working, must be risk assessed as a minimum and a hot works permit issued daily before any work is carried out. Historic England has produced an advice note – see http://bc-url.com/hc23-gf4 – and the Lead Sheet Association and other bodies have introduced a policy of removing hot works from buildings wherever possible. Portable heaters Any types of portable heaters, such as Calor gas and electrical heaters, pose a risk. The former also carries the associated risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. These forms of heating should never be left turned on and unattended. Also, they should never be located close to anything, especially if it is constructed of a flammable material such as furniture and curtains. If a portable heater is essential, then it should carry a British or European safety mark, secured wherever possible to a wall to prevent it falling over and never moved while it is turned on. Another point to remember is that LPG heaters produce a lot of moisture as a by-product and long-term use of this can have a detrimental impact on delicate or susceptible historic artefacts. Storage of spare gas cylinders should not be within the main body of the church but in a separate and suitable lockable area. All electrical heaters should be in good condition, with no obvious sign of damage to the lead and with a correctly fused plug top. They must be located where they cannot be accidentally covered. REDUCING INTERIOR FIRE LOAD Storage, or the lack of it, is a major issue for a lot of churches and so inappropriate storage areas are often used due to a lack of any other solution. As more and more churches move away from fixed pews to moveable chairs and a flexible internal space, storage for these types of furnishings can be potentially problematic and hazardous. An example unfortunately occurred in 2001 at Peterborough Cathedral when an arsonist took advantage of the stacked plastic chairs located within the main body of the building and not in a secure lockable cupboard. The fire was started by placing a votive candle within the chair stack. The chairs eventually caught fire, and had they not been located near a window that the local fire and rescue services were able to use to get fire hoses onto the blaze, the cathedral would likely have been destroyed or far more badly damaged than it was. It is essential that internal fire loads be kept to a minimum and item storage is made secure and as far as possible, fitted with a lockable, fire resistant door. Votive candles and ignition sources such as matches are an obvious way in which both accidental and deliberate fires can start, as at Peterborough Cathedral. They should never be available for use by visitors unless the church is supervised and for the rest of the time they should be locked away. During supervised hours and when services are held, the number of spare candles available within the church should be kept to a minimum. Good general housekeeping will also help by keeping rubbish and waste to a minimum. The author’s own Victorian church was badly damaged by a fire which was a by-product of a burglary. It later transpired the wastepaper in the vestry bin was accidentally set alight by a discarded cigarette from one of the intruders. Christmas trees and decorations Unfortunately, seasonal decorations are known to cause fires so they must be located carefully so as not to block or interfere with exit routes out of the church. Festive lights must also be in good working order with correctly fused plug tops and should never be left switched on when the church is not occupied. It is also advisable not to allow visitors to the church to gain access to the Christmas tree or its decorations. Barriers or locations where the tree is out of the public’s reach should be used. If the tree is artificial then it must be made of suitable fire rated materials. If natural then it must be kept moist and all pine needles that have dropped must A smoke-blackened consumer unit in the parish church of Bibury, Oxfordshire (Photo: Dan McNaughton) The front page of an electrical installation condition report A carbon dioxide extinguisher for electrical fires stationed next to the organ in St Mary’s, Tisbury (Photo: Jonathan Taylor)