FIRE SAFETY IN HERITAGE BUILDINGS

By: Einar Karlsen architect, Riksantikvaren (Directorate for Cultural Heritage) Norway 1. ABSTRACT The Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage has been working systematically with fire protection since the 1980s. Maximum safety with minimum damage has been a main objective in fire protection of historic buildings in Norway. A fire strategy and an extended cost-benefit analysis should always be carried out to prevent damage to the fabric of the building and unnecessary aesthetic intrusion. Sprinklers were installed in the 1960s in some of the stave churches. During the 1980s sprinklers and fire detection systems were installed in a large proportion of the stave churches. The work was intensified at the beginning of the 1990s because of the threat of arson. During a period of less than five years´ extensive measures were carried out in the 28 surviving stave churches. In addition to the stave churches a program has been carried out to protect a selection of the other 400 most valuabl

New Zealand's heritage buildings are burning to the ground at a rate of 15 a year. According to Fire Service statistics even more alarming is the fact that in the event of a fire, heritage buildings are more likely to be totally destroyed than modern buildings. Fire Service national manager community safety, Jim Dance, says the reason for this is that most of these buildings are not adequately protected from fire. "It is a fact that: 93 percent of all heritage buildings involved in fires did not have a fire detection system of any kind Nearly three quarters of all heritage building fires happen in timber framed structures Nearly a third of all fires in these types of buildings are deliberately lit Over half of heritage building fires occur in residential buildings If you combine all of these reasons - it is no wonder that we can't save them,&quo

By: Chris Wattie , Canwest News Service Published: Wednesday, February 20, 2008 TORONTO - Flames consumed a block of heritage buildings on Toronto's Queen Street West on Wednesday, collapsing one historic structure and leaving several others empty blackened shells in a huge fire that one community leader said "left a hole in the heart of the city." More than 150 firefighters and 40 pumper and ladder trucks fought the stubborn fire for hours in windy, freezing weather that covered firefighters, rubble, power lines and store fronts in a coat of ice that froze almost as soon as it left firefighters' hoses. It took more than three hours to contain the blaze within the six-building bloc where it broke out at about 5 a.m. and the fire continued to smoulder for the rest of the afternoon. One building collapsed completely just as fire crews were scrambling out of the structure and another had to be pulled down to allow access to

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The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, today voiced concern about damage caused to the Castello di Moncalieri, in the Italian Province of Turin, inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1997. A fire broke out on 5 April causing severe damage to the royal apartments and to several floors in one of the watchtowers of the building, a former residence of the House of Savoy. "I am deeply saddened by the loss of an important part of this royal residence," said the Director-General. "It is, however, a relief that the fire brigades were able to prevent even greater destruction," he added, calling for an urgent assessment of the damage with a view to restoring the castle. Built in 1100 and extended over several centuries, the Castello di Moncalieri was the main family residence of the House of Savoy from the 16th to the 18th centuries. It was inscribed on the World Heritage List, along with several other royal residences, as bearing testimony to monumen

Source:http://punan.info/blog/category/general-news/

MALAYSIA'S OFFICIAL FIRE PROTECTION AND RESCUE EXPO & CONFERENCE 17 - 20 June 2008 Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre http://www.firec.org/

EUROPEAN COUNTRIES- GOALS FOR SOCIETY, BASED ON THE GENERAL FIRE REGULATIONS AND SPECIFIC TO CULTURAL HERITAGE Goal Covered by general Fire Regulations Specific for Cultural Heritage 1. Life and Health Safety Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, England-Wales, France, Greece, Italy, Norway, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, Scotland Switzerland , Italy , Portugal 2. Property Protection a) Structure Austria , Belgium , Switzerland , Germany , Greece , Italy , Norway , Portugal *, Sweden Belgium , Switzerland , Germany , Italy , Norway , Netherlands , Portugal , Sweden b) Content Austria , Switzerland , Greece , Norway , Portugal * Switzerland , Germany , Italy , Norway , Netherlands , Portugal 3. Environment Austria , Germany , Netherlands , Portugal *, Greece Portu