This Tuesday, October 12, the Saint-André cathedral in Bordeaux was the scene of a simulated fire which mobilized around fifteen firefighters from Gironde and the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs. An exercise to avoid a tragedy similar to that of Notre-Dame, in April 2019.
Is Bordeaux Cathedral ready for a fire start? This is the question that the Gironde firefighters wanted to answer. This Tuesday, October 12, in the morning, a simulation of the start of a fire was carried out in the cathedral located at Place Pey Berland.
About ten works evacuated
About ten works were evacuated outside the cathedral, most of them paintings, but also art objects. A work too heavy to be moved was covered with a fireproof fabric.
“We gradually released the priority works by taking as much protection as possible: we wrap them in blankets, or in foams. Once packaged, they are taken to the collection point where they are labeled and listed to prevent them from happening. disappear “, explains Captain Stéphane Caumontat, head of the cultural heritage protection office at SDIS Gironde.
????Exercise of #security #fire in progress at Saint-André cathedral in #Bordeaux with #SDIS33
Simulation of an outbreak of fire leading to the intervention of #Firefighters :
▶ ️Disaster management
▶ ️Protection of heritage
▶ ️Evacuation of works of art from the Treasury pic.twitter.com/n43HgrXlfY– Prefect of New Aquitaine and Gironde (@ PrefAquitaine33) October 12, 2021
The choice was not made at random, however: the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs pre-selected the works to be saved as a priority, in particular those of the Marcadié treasure. They were subsequently examined by the DRAC in Bordeaux to assess the damage. An analysis, fictitious this time.
“We learn from the events that occur. The idea is to react, so that, if Bordeaux has a dramatic episode that can destroy an exceptional heritage like that of the Saint-André cathedral, we will be ready, thanks to this plan and this exercise“, assures Delphine Balsa, chief of staff of the prefecture of Gironde.
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Work until 2018
Organized by the DRAC, the prefecture, the metropolis and the SDIS of Gironde, this exercise follows the renovation work of the fire safety system, launched in 2021 by the State, of which it is the owner. Ultimately, everything will have to be completely revised: detection, warning, evacuation, smoke extraction and compartmentalisation system in the attic.
So many security measures to limit the spread of fire and avoid a tragedy similar to that of Notre-Dame, in Paris. The first phase has already cost the State nearly € 200,000. The work is expected to last until 2028.
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