Fire & Water PC

all done from readings, no in class notes yet

What priority level is fire

highest priority

Are fire safety for humans adequate for objects?

Often not

fire triangle description

state of combustion from a chemical reaction, requires: oxygen, ignition source, fuel source

3 stages of fire development + descr.

pre-flashover stage: fire limited in size, can be extinguished w/ portable fire extinguisher, detection may not occur until flames visible/heat produced, sprinklers activate when sufficient heat at ceiling and will control the fire, if automatic suppresion system not provided - fire will become uncontrolled
flashover stage: heat becomes intense and high enough to ignite common combustible materials in room - fully developed fire
post flashover stage: fully developed phase, all exposed combustibles in room involved, may result in total loss of collections in room, may spread to other rooms through hallways and ceiling voids

when will fire burn out

when all combustibles consumed

How much time between preflashover and flashover stage

can be minutes

In general, most sources of fire

as a result of human neglect/carelessness or intentional

typical sources of ignition (10 but probs only name like 6 or 7)

exterior and natural sources - lighting, proximity to forest, bush fires, exposure to adjacent burning buildings or exterior trash containers; electrical sources - faulty/overloaded wiring, electrical panels, HVAC systems; proximity of combustible materials to a heat source (eg portable heater); open flames such as candles or food warmers used for catering; “interpretive fires” eg fireplaces, cook stoves, etc; construction and renovation activities (eg hot work like welding, use of casting materials that produce heat); improper use/storage/disposal of flammable liquids such as paint thinners; smoking material; gas leaks; arson

How to remove risk of fire from electrical systems (3)

have it inspected by electrician every 10 yrs, maintain heating system annually, inspect tools/equipment/appliances regularly

HVAC long

heating, ventilation, air conditioning

effects of collections with cellulose nitrate film, ammunitions, munitions, blasting equipment, flammable liquid (“wet” collections) on fire

usually not the cause of fire but contribute to buildings fire load - greatly increase threat to fire fighters

place vulnerable to arson & why (4)

place of worship - tend to be isolated, kept unlocked, consist of large open spaces & hidden voids - allow fire to spread rapidly, vacant history structures also vulnerable

risks for seasonal museums (4)

often have no HVAC systems so use space heaters/portable heaters/wood burning stoves, located in remote locations where vandalism/arson can go undetected, constructed of highly combustible material, lack automatic fire suppression, some rely on battery operated smoke alarms - not changed that often

Causes of vulnerability of historic house museums (7)

highly combustible/non fire-resistive materials which have dried out over time, older heating systems & electrical wiring - hazardous & inadequate, many designed w/ large open staircases - allow fire/smoke to rapidly spread between floors, may be concealed voids above ceilings/below floors/behind walls, not compartmentalized basements/attics, openings around installed ductwork/electrical conduits/plumbing pipes may not have been stopped with fire resistant material, cleaning supplies/solvents/paints/waxes often inappropriately stored in the basement or in a non-fire rated closet

damage that can happen from fire

in seat of fire: may ignite and burn completely
Items located elsewhere: may become distorted, discolored, or brittle or covered with a layer of powder soot

What material materials are particularly susceptible to combustion?

Organic material materials from plant and animal products(textiles, paper, wood, esp if dry), the thinner, the item the more likely, and quickly it will ignite and burn completely

what damage from fire can happen to inorganic material (6)

eg stone, glass, metal, ceramic - not likely to ignite, but can suffer: melting, warping, discoloration, embrittlement, cracking, and shattering

smoke versus soot

smoke: product of combustion consists of fine particulates and hot gases
soot: finely divided carbon deposited by flames during the incomplete combustion of organic substances

what items are especially vulnerable to soot + additional issues with it

Organic materials with porous or highly textured surfaces- when handled soot may be further pressed into the surface- so should be handled as little as possible, but also becomes more difficult to remove with time AND is corrosive, should be removed ASAP, soot resulting from synthetic material tends to be oilier and more difficult to remove

3 types of factors leading to water damage + (5, 5, 2 egs)

Natural: rainstorm, wind, storm, hurricane, flash flood, tsunami, spring melt
technological/mechanical: sewer failure/back up, sprinkler system malfunction, broken waterline, leaking roof, leak from HVAC
Accidents: What are used in cleaning up chemical spills, water damage due to fire(sprinkler system discharge/fire hoses)

what is the majority of water related problems a result of

Accidents or neglect

fire damage - institutional level (5)

severe damage/”total loss” of collections, loss of knowledge, severe disruption of business continuity, reputation damage, financial consequences

fire damage on a collection/object level (6)

scorching, melting, deformation, soot and smog, smell, pollution

fire causes (8)

construction work, building maintenance work, technical malfunctioning, short circuit, arson, explosion, wildfire, lightning strike

damage caused by fire supression (4)

water hose, handheld: CO2/foam/water/powder, sprinkler/water mist, automatic gaseous suppression systems

institutional level water damage (4)

severe disruption of business continuity, recoverable collections, high recovery costs, (reputation)

object level water damage (7)

deformation, dissolving (parts), sticking together, stains and discolorations, bleeding of color, dirty water - pollution, fungi and bacteria

causes of water damage (4)

spills, leakage (construction, piping), fire suppression (water, mist), natural - floods

indirect agents of deterioration from fire and water

physical forces, thieves and vandals, dissociation, pollutants, pests, incorrect temp, incorrect RH

different scales of a disaster

incident - unplanned, undesired local event with negative impact that requires immediate action, includes near misses
crisis - unforeseen combination of circumstances or the resulting state that calls for immediate action, often local event causing great and often sudden damage to, eg notre dam fire humans/property/nature, requires a coordinated response
disaster - serious large-scale situation, short or long period of time, causes widespread human/material/economic/environmental loss, exceeds ability of the affected community/society to cope using its own resources, eg covid

issues with soot

can be corrosive, very difficult to deal with

diff responses based on diff scales

incidents - focus on source control, self sufficient
crisis - focus on effect management, support from local network, local emergency response
disaster - (inter)national emergency services, (inter)national relief agencies, governments might take over institutions with a state of emergency

how could you describe crisis management

coordinated improvisation- every crisis is different and cannot be prepared for every scenario, improvisation will always happen

5 steps of crisis management

respond - who receive the first incident notification?
assess - when is it an incident or crisis?
convene - who has which role and responsibility?
execute - what is the chain of command?
resolve - when is the crisis done?

crisis management team 2 parts

core team and flexible shell

who is on the core team of crisis management (5)

decisionmaker (often director of the organization), coordinator, logger, crisis-communication, security

flexible shell of the crisis management team (6)

digital and physical collection experts, building/logistics, external experts, HR, legal, other experts

components of a salvage team

coordinator and team members

components of a salvage team: coordinator more detail

coordinates team members, communication within the crisis management team, checks safety and security with emergency responders

components of a salvage team: team members possible tasks

documentation: situation, label, packing lists
logistics: route, supplies, food, water, etc.
handling and packaging
transport of objects
organization of temp storage space