This feature explores the complexities of specifying fire-safety solutions for heritage buildings that offer the highest levels of protection whilst preserving the character of these historic landmarks.
Fireproofing a historic building is not a simple process. Retaining the building’s character and often ornate features whilst providing the utmost fire protection is a sizeable challenge.
At the outset of any historic building project, one of the largest challenges is often achieving the meeting of minds. Where fire-protection experts’ prime focus is fire safety, historic preservation teams’ primary focus is conservation – to ensure that the economic, social and cultural benefits that a building provides are protected for generations to come. Therefore, these teams must work closely together to ensure a favourable outcome and design a solution that meets both of their needs.
Fire hazards
Heritage buildings present unique hazards, having been built in a period with no fire-safety regulations. Traditional building methods, material selection and obsolete fire-safety systems and equipment, pose a fire risk to heritage buildings. The three most common causes of fires in historic buildings are arson, electrical fires and construction mishaps – and sadly, they occur more frequently than you would expect.
In March this year, some Midlothian residents were trapped in their homes with surrounding roads closed following a major fire outbreak at Newbattle Abbey in Dalkeith. The same month, a large fire tore through the roof of Hendrefoilan House, a gothic mansion in Swansea, with firefighters working through the night and into the following morning to tackle the blaze.
These two examples alone demonstrate that fires in historic buildings can not only cause irreparable damage and erase significant parts of history but they can also endanger the lives of occupants and local inhabitants.
Fire prevention
As a leading provider of fire-safety solutions with over 200 years of experience protecting some of the UK’s most prestigious buildings, at Chubb we are experts in finding the perfect balance between providing maximum fire protection whilst preserving the authenticity and character of a building.
Today, an essential requirement with any work performed on historic buildings is that it meets the relevant fire-safety legislation – The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in England and Wales, and the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006 in Scotland. But we must also satisfy the needs of other parties, including surveyors, planning officers, fire and rescue services and heritage trusts.
When creating a fire-protection strategy, the best place to start is by undertaking a thorough fire-risk assessment to identify the principal areas of concern. This might highlight, for instance, inappropriately placed fire extinguishers, ill-fitting doors, open staircases, lack of compartmentalisation and unknown wall or floor voids. Armed with this survey, we can design, specify and install the most appropriate fire-safety equipment and systems to address the building’s needs.
Fire detection
Whilst the main focus of a fire-protection strategy should be to prevent fire, should a fire accidentally break out, early automatic fire detection is essential to ensure its containment. Fire-detection systems provide the earliest possible warning of a developing emergency situation, which can facilitate the safe and swift evacuation of people from a building.
Wireless fire detection and alarm systems are often the most suitable option for heritage buildings where the installation of cabling can be disruptive or affect the aesthetics. Modern wireless fire-alarm systems work by transmitting a radio signal from the detector and call point to the control panel. They can be operated by different power sources, making them a flexible solution and offer the added benefit of being easy to install with minimum disruption. In the event of a power cut, wireless fire-alarm systems will still work, offering ultimate peace of mind to building owners and managers.
Fire extinguishing
For many historic buildings, appropriately placed foam fire extinguishers are suitable for tackling most small fires early on. For more significant incidents, fire hose reels and sprinkler systems are often specified as they have minimal water output, making them a sustainable choice.
When dealing with larger historic buildings, more specialised fire-extinguishing solutions are required, and careful consideration should be given to the most appropriate solution for specific environments.
For instance, commercial kitchens can present a significant fire risk, as they contain many flammable substances and potential fire sources, including deep fat fryers, ovens and air extraction systems. Wet chemical fire-suppression systems that extinguish fires with the combination of oxygen depletion and water-based cooling are normally used in commercial kitchens. Another area that needs special attention in heritage sites is the archives. Systems that activate a combined water/gas extinguishing system are often the best solution, as nitrogen gas effectively extinguishes the fire while fine water mist cools and prevents it from reigniting.
Fire safety training
Regardless of the building type, it is the building owner’s responsibility to make sure that all staff know where fire-safety equipment is located and how to use it properly. To adhere to The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, for instance, building owners must ensure that all staff are provided with adequate training when they are employed and repeat it periodically, where appropriate. Training should include suitable and sufficient instruction and training on the proper precautions and actions to be taken in order to safeguard all people within the building. Appointed fire wardens or marshals should be elected and documented when preparing a fire-risk assessment survey. In most cases, fire wardens will need more extensive training. The Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations also requires building owners to provide suitable training for staff and ensure the availability of competent assistance, cooperation and coordination in shared workplaces.
Hybrid fire solution for historic hotel
Chubb has an impressive portfolio of historic buildings it supports with fire-safety and security solutions, including Westminster Abbey, Rochester Cathedral and Kenilworth Castle, to name but a few.
One of Chubb’s most recent fire-safety projects involved installing a hybrid fire solution at Glenapp Castle, a 21-bedroom, luxury five-star hotel in Ayrshire, Scotland, to meet the Historic Scotland preservation agency’s stringent requirements.
The owners of Glenapp Castle sought to convert the entire top floor into a luxury apartment, but due to the historic nature of the building, it required a robust fire system in place. Generally, if a void in a loft space is under a specific size, it does not need to be covered, but Historic Scotland requires all voids to be covered entirely, so close attention to detail was required.
Chubb’s initial site visit involved a thorough eight-hour examination, exploring every nook and cranny of the loft space, which revealed many voids, including the eaves and turrets at the top of the tower.
The project required Chubb to devise a hybrid fire solution to protect both the existing building and the renovation project. Chubb’s proposed solution comprised a combination of hard-wired and wireless fire systems, cabling for the top-floor renovation and wireless modules such as smoke detectors and sounders to the existing cabling in the finished building.
During the project, the renovation scope changed considerably, which required Chubb to be flexible in adjusting the original fire solution specified. Working closely alongside other contractors, Chubb also interfaced the fire solution with various other systems, including the BMS system, sprinkler system, dynamic emergency lighting system and pressurisation system to keep the fire-exit stairways clear.
One unusual challenge Chubb encountered was the discovery of bats in the loft space, which required the team to seek a bat licence and involve the Bat Conservation Trust.
When the renovation started in January 2020, the proprietor intended to have the luxury apartment open for late summer, but the Covid-19 pandemic delayed work until Spring 2021.
Glenapp Castle reopened in May 2021, showcasing its new 4,500 sq. ft luxury penthouse apartment – The Endeavour – which was recently recognised in The Week’s ‘World’s Top 10 Best Luxury Hotel Penthouses’.
Since completing the project, Chubb has enhanced the existing fire-maintenance contract to cover the full scope of works completed with the addition of remote monitoring. Due to the castle’s remote location, the owners wanted to ensure that the fire systems could be monitored by Chubb’s alarm receiving centre 24/7.
For more information, go to www.chubb.co.uk
About the Author
John Stewart is General Manager (Scotland) for Chubb Fire & Security. John has a wealth of knowledge in fire safety, acquired during his more than 25 years working in senior roles for some of the UK’s largest fire and security brands.
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