Outlines for Fine Art Disaster Planning

The fire at Clandon Park House, a Grade I listed building near Guildford, Surrey occurred on April 29th, 2015 and rendered the once magnificent Georgian building a roofless shell. It was the worst fire in the history of the National Trust. The fire was most likely caused because of a faulty connection in the electrical distribution board. Sadly, a far larger proportion of the collections were lost than at Uppark in 1989.

Disasters can strike any organisation, large or small, arriving in the shape of storm, fire, flood or even a terrorist outrage. To overcome a disaster and the spiral of impact that follows, an action plan is required in advance. ‘Fail to prepare and you prepare to fail!’

As no two properties, contents or potential disasters will be the same, either in scale or nature, so advice should not be too site specific. Each individual property needs the flexibility of a ‘series’ of potential salvage plans which can be interpreted for every possible scenario.

I have seen several disastrous events first-hand; most notably the Glasgow School of Art fires of 2014 and 2018 and has co-written a Fine Art Salvage Guidelines booklet with the NFU Mutual.

Establishing your Fine Art Salvage Plan

The basic principle of any emergency plan is that it provides a framework for an organisation to rely upon in a crisis – the plan must be flexible, clearly written and easily understood. It is crucial to ensure that all members of a household (and other people where necessary) are aware of sensible procedures for different kinds of emergency. Procedures should be thorough but workable and updated annually. A fire drill practice or rehearsal should be held at least once a year so that the response of those involved can be tested.

Plans should be developed for:

• Fire, flood, crime, or threat of a criminal act
• Accident or injury to someone
• Press enquiries in the event of an emergency

Everyone using the building should know the location of:

• Stairways, escape routes and emergency exits
• Cut-off points for utilities (water, electricity, and gas)
• Communications equipment (telephones, mobile phones, and two-way radios)
• Emergency equipment and materials, and protective clothing.

Telephone Tree

Timely communications are often critical. A telephone tree operates in an emergency, with one person ringing two others, then those two both ringing two more (according to a pre-planned call-out list), and so on, until everyone who needs to be alerted has been. An easily updated list of contact numbers, which can be modified during summer and other holiday times, must be compiled.

Local Fire Officer

Seek guidance and contact the fire brigade at a local level, with the Divisional Officer, as well as with the Fire Prevention Officer. You should ensure that electrical wiring installations have been professionally checked and that the building benefits from an Automatic Fire Detection system and fire compartmentalisation as appropriate. Liaising with the fire brigade will help them understand your priorities for the rescue and handling of contents during an emergency. EVERYONE ON SITE WORKS UNDER THE DIRECTION AND SUPERVISION OF THE FIREBRIGADE.

The Police

It is also important that you discuss your emergency plans with local police, in particular the Crime Prevention Officer. During an emergency, the police may be able to assist in maintaining the security of the property and rescued items. They may also be able to help with the management of visitors, onlookers, and traffic.

How to make a Priority Salvage Card

• Use a photo of the object and add a short description
• Note any special removal instructions
• Include a plan of the room and one of the building
• Laminate finished cards for durability

Priority Salvage Cards

• Decide which the most valuable items to be rescued are.
• Know what is portable. Do not waste time on the grand piano, or a huge picture in a heavy frame bolted to the wall. You can only salvage the salvageable!
• Be selective, especially when evacuating the whole house. Try to rescue at least one example from a set of chairs, lamps, pelmets, curtains or tapestries, or a fragment of wallpaper for restoration purposes.
• Remember family items: portraits, busts, papers, etc. These maybe in themselves of only moderate financial worth but of great historic, sentimental, or academic value.
• Emphasis should be placed upon removing objects closest to the danger of flood and fire. Depending upon the severity of the emergency and the size of the piece of furniture, painting, etc., or the sheer volume of the objects (such as libraries containing several thousand books), it may be impossible to remove every object. Create ‘safe rooms’ as initial decanting locations. Unless undertaken with extreme care, removal can cause more damage than the catastrophe.
• Specialist advice on the handling and conservation of art and antiques can be given by ICON (Institute of Conservation) www.icon.org.uk

Health & Safety Training

Members of the Support Team should be taught how to lift heavy and large objects properly and receive training in basic ladder safety. One member of the team ideally should be qualified in first aid. As a matter of course, a first aid kit should be included with the emergency equipment www.hse.gov.uk

Remember Disaster Recovery can be planned for in advance, not hindsight. We are always happy to offer specialist advice and assistance.