Fire Safety and Suppression
Contents
Statement of Purpose
This section includes information related to fire safety and suppression within natural history museums.
Introduction
Fire can be caused by faulty construction, carelessness, improper protocols, or lack of policy within an institution. All aspects of a natural history museum or collection facility should be examined and monitored for best practice in regard to fire safety and suppression, including collection storage spaces, laboratories, kitchens, and restaurant services, to ensure that they meet all applicable fire codes. Mechanisms for oversight of compliance should be put in place, including guidelines (e.g., Standard Operation Procedure) that outline required Training Personnel and regular inspection. Institutions and individual collections should also have established plans regarding emergency evacuate of the premises and proper procedure to report a fire.
Contributors
Content regarding fluid collections (e.g., herpetology, ichthyology) was generated during The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH) Annual Joint Meeting - 2016, during an iDigBio sponsored workshop by the following individuals participating in the "Museum Logistics" working group of the aforementioned workshop: Andrew Bentley (University of Kansas, Collection Manager of Fishes), Brian Sidlauskas (Oregon State University, Curator of Fishes), Caleb McMahan (The Field Museum, Collection Manager of Fishes), Norma Saucedo (College of Charleston, Professor), Dean Hendrickson (The University of Texas at Austin, Curator of Fishes), Alexandra Snyder (Museum of Southwestern Biology, Collections Manager of Fishes).
Fluid Collections
No specific fire or building code exists for natural history museums, so each local fire marshal and Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) officer will interpret the general codes and set a local policy. The international building and fire codes mandates numerous building and facility design elements:
In addition, there are country, state and county specific codes that are applicable. Within the U.S. the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) 909 Code for the Protection of Cultural Resource Properties — Museums, Libraries, and Places of Worship, 2009 Edition applies.
General concerns revolve around storage temperature (lower reduces risk), ventilation rates, volume of alcohol/room volume, limits on height of shelves, etc., but each country and state will have local variations that need to be taken into consideration. Thus, it is critical for each collection manager to work closely with the fire marshal and EHS and to build a good working relationship. It is recommended that the fire marshal and EHS are consulted at the beginning of any new design projects or when moving collection material into a new space. In addition, maintaining regular contact is important because regulations and interpretations of code can change, and a continued dialogue can help avoid surprises.
Links
Fire Protection In Cultural Institutions
Fire Safety Self-Inspection Form For Cultural Institutions
