FIRE SAFETY FOR HISTORICAL BUILDINGS

Historical structures are one of the highest values to our collective memory and ensuring fire safety comes among the most important issues for us to safely carry those structures to future generations as they are. While a fire case often results in the complete loss of a historical structure, in rare cases when it can be taken under control, it causes damage to the structure that is very difficult or impossible to repair and causes the loss of our historical values.

So, what are the elements to be considered in the process of protecting our historical buildings from fire?

The Regulation on the Protection of Buildings from Fire states that the opinion of the Cultural and Natural Heritage Preservation Board should be sought regarding the installations, while the relevant fire department should be contacted for fire safety installations to be made in historical buildings.

Repair, modification, and maintenance works carried out on historical buildings also include fire safety requirements.

“First, do no harm!” -Hippocrates
The main priority of fire safety planning for historical buildings should be to produce solutions that can preserve the integrity of the building as much as possible. In newly constructed buildings, it is essential that the design be efficient, and the buildings adapt to the design. Conversely, in historical buildings, the preservation of the building is essential, and the design must adapt to the unique features of the building.

Fire safety requirements specific to historic buildings include:

• In cases where the physical properties of a building cannot be changed, the existing architectural features of the building should be used for emergency guidance and evacuation.

• If the bearing columns of a historical building or the whole building is made of wooden materials, it is necessary to always be on the safe side by taking additional precautions in terms of fire safety for all operations to be carried out on the building. Only vast expertise and know-how can meet these requirements.

Specialized on fire for 70 years, Efectis fire consultancy team creates a unique fire concept tailored for your building. We provide fire consultancy services to protect your historical buildings from fire hazard and to keep them safe for future generation.