Wednesday 23 May 2012, 9.30am to 5pm

The course

An informative day considering the issues relating to fire and historic buildings, including the spread and growth of fire and how it affects traditional building materials, handling fire insurance claims, fire safety interventions and what the law requires, and fire in thatched buildings.

 Programme:

The spread and growth of fire and how it affects traditional building materials, looking at the way that fire grows and spreads, to put into context the fire resistance of walls doors and ceilings, and the spread of fire beyond the building of origin, with case studies of historic town centre fires.  (Steve Emery)
Coffee
Handling fire insurance claims: the causes of  fire in old properties, the chronology of dealing with a large fire claim, and the influence of outside professionals. The effects of under-insurance and how to avoid them. (Richard Playle)
Lunch
Fire safety interventions and what the law requires: looking at the Fire Safety Order, Approved Document B of the Building Regulations, and the sympathetic retro-fitting of fire safety devices including sprinklers, water mist, detection, signs and notices. (Steve Emery)
Tea
Fire and thatched buildings:  A look at the statistics, costs and the loss of heritage buildings, research on the mechanisms of fire spread, surface ignition and ignition deep within multi-layered thatch, fires relating to multi-fuel appliances and chimney linings,  understanding and managing fire risk in thatched buildings and the experience of thatch fires in other countries, particularly Northern Europe. (Marjorie Sanders & Roger Angold)

Fee

£99 per person, to include tuition, teas and coffees and a light lunch.

Participant information

No special clothing or equipment is required for this course.

The tutors

Steve Emery joined Avon Fire Brigade in 1974 and spent 15 years as an operational fire fighter before gaining a wealth of experience as a Fire Safety Officer in Bath, a World Heritage City.  He worked there for 12 years, developing innovative solutions to fire safety problems, which were sympathetic to the historic fabric. In 2001, he was seconded to English Heritage as their Fire Safety Adviser. He provides advice on all matters concerning the protection of English Heritage’s premises, staff and other assets against damage caused by fire.  He also provides advice to owners and property managers of Listed Buildings and Scheduled Monuments on all matters concerning the provision of fire safety measures in their buildings.  He chairs the IFE Special Interest Group for Heritage Buildings and the Training Sub-Group of the DCMS Emergency Planning Group.

Richard Playle has been involved in the insurance and risk management of listed and period properties for more than 35 years. He is also a former vice president of the National Society of Master Thatchers and still maintains close links with the thatching industry. Richards experience was largely gained as an insurance broker with The Country Gentlemen’s Association, for whom he worked for more than 20 years culminating in his appointment as managing director. In 1999 Richard left to form his own company, Playle Russell (Special Risks) Ltd, specialising in the insurance of listed, period, and unusual properties. Richard’s continuing passion for the care and repair of our built heritage led to his study and award of a Master of Science degree in building conservation from Bournemouth University in 2006.

Between them, Roger Angold BSc. MA, PhD(Cantab) CBiol. MSB FRMS and Marjorie Sanders MPhil, CBiol, MSB, Churchill Fellow, have two lifetimes experience in botany and cereal science, agriculture and food research. For the past 19 years they have been active leaders in both academic and practical research into thatch longevity including the major causes, management and control of fires in thatch. On leaving the food industry they established Pyxis CSB Limited, which provides independent advice to thatch owners, architects, surveyors, conservation officers and fire services in addition to providing consultancy services to the National Society of Master Thatchers Limited on all technical issues associated with thatch.

The Museum

The Weald & Downland Open Air Museum has over 45 historic building exhibits.  It is also home to the award winning and innovative Downland Gridshell, which houses a conservation workshop and artefact store, and is also used for many practical courses.  The Museum runs a full programme of courses in historic building conservation and traditional rural trades and crafts, along with MSc programmes in Building Conservation and Timber Building Conservation. Please telephone for further details.

To book, download a form here. Alternatively, fill in the booking request below.

Make a Booking Request

 
This is an initial booking request form, and does not guarantee a place on the course. The Adult Learning Team will check the availability of the course, and reply to you as soon as possible - usually within one working day.