MÜNSTER Numerous major fires in historic buildings, including the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral, have repeatedly highlighted the particular threat to cultural property in recent years.
Whether monasteries, castles and palaces, half-timbered houses, or old industrial buildings, they were all not built according to modern fire protection specifications and have only rarely been retrofitted.
BRAWA project
The BRAWA project (preserving cultural assets through the motivation of helpers and low fire probabilities), funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, is now intended to help improve early fire detection and at the same time to develop a concept according to which helpers on site can initiate early firefighting and prevent major damage through quick and qualified intervention.
“The aim is to investigate whether the innovative sensor technology in historical buildings is suitable for detecting fires in the earliest stages,” says vfdb General Secretary, Dirk Oberhagemann, explaining the research project.
fire probability parameter
The scientists want to find out whether the probability of fire can be made visible
Dirk Oberhagemann adds, “At the same time, the question is asked whether a 'fire probability' parameter can be derived from the signal evaluation. It should then expand the signal threshold values previously used as an indicator of a dangerous event.”
The scientists want to find out whether the probability of fire can be made visible, for example in the form of a traffic light system. This would allow the people responsible as fire protection assistants on site to intervene depending on the situation.
innovative sensor technology
“The work extends to three levels,” said Dirk Oberhagemann, adding “The technical level through the use of innovative sensor technology and their networking, the level of situation assessment by introducing a fire probability and the response level by motivating the helpers on site and practicing effective options for action for the initial firefighting.”
Early firefighting
Early firefighting could completely prevent further spread or at least delay. This in turn would reduce damage and relieve the burden on fire departments. “It’s also about a new helper concept,” emphasizes the vfdb General Secretary.
Dirk Oberhagemann continues, “This group of people will not consist of trained firefighters. Rather, they are people who are entrusted with other tasks in their regular work, but who are prepared in the event of an alarm.”
protection of movable and immovable cultural property
The protection of movable and immovable cultural property, libraries, museums, archives, churches
The background for the research project is the announcement “Civil Security – Socioeconomic and Sociocultural Infrastructures” from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. It took place as part of the federal government's “Research for Civil Security 2018 - 2023” program.
This emphasizes, among other things, the protection of movable and immovable cultural property, libraries, museums, archives, churches, and other symbolic buildings.
Damage to cultural assets
In the past, high losses have occurred not only due to damage to historical buildings but also to cultural assets worthy of protection within them.
Damage to cultural assets is often caused not only by the fire but also by the extinguishing agents. In addition to the fire at Notre Dame, examples of this include the fires at Windsor Castle (1992), in the Hilandar monastery on Mount Athos in Greece (2004), and the Weimar Duchess Anna Amalia Library (2004).
But even apart from such particularly spectacular events, fires are regularly reported in historical buildings, churches, palaces castles, and historic city centers, such as in 2013 in Ehrenstein Castle in Thuringia.
