>> The Palace of Westminster is home to one of the busiest parliamentary institutions
in the world.
Thousands of people work here and visit every day and millions of tourists are drawn to
its iconic splendour.
Completed in the mid 1800's, many of the Palace's features have never undergone major renovation.
So what being done to tackle any problems, not only to ensure the Palace continues to
function as a working building, but also to preserve its unique heritage for future generations?
In this video, we look at the fire safety precautions around the palace and what needs
to be done to bring the systems up to modern standards.
The new Palace of Westminster was built in the mid-1800s to replace the old Palace, which
burned down in 1834, following a major fire.
With that in mind, Charles Barry put fire-proofing firmly at the centre of his design, using
stone and iron to counter the risk from numerous smoke flues.
When it came to the interior decoration, he and Pugin used vast quantities of combustible
materials.
And the huge network of ventilation shafts and floor voids they included in their design
to aid ventilation had the unintentional effect of creating ideal conditions for fire and
smoke to spread through the building.
The 1974 fire precautions act was designed to protect occupants and buildings from fire.
But following the Windsor Castle fire in 1992, improved compartmentation was one of the key
fire protection measures recommended for all of the royal palaces.
By sub-dividing a building into compartments or blocks, separated by walls and floors of
fire resisting construction, it slows the spread of fire and smoke ñ by containing
it within a single compartment for at least 30 minutes; enough to safeguard lives; and
for at least 60 minutes; enough to minimise damage to the building and its contents.
In the 1990s, extensive compartmentation work was begun in the Palace of Westminster.
But given the building is in constant use, and the extremely invasive nature of the work,
only two thirds has been completed.
So, at the moment, if there was a major fire, only some compartments would be relied upon.
And the recent discovery of previously hidden Victorian ventilation ducts further complicates
the picture.
Evidence suggests that smoke could travel through these ducts, as well as architectural
voids.
So, completing the programme of compartmentation is necessary to avoid this happening.
>> David Kaye
If we have a fire, it will stop the fire spreading.
These compartments go from basement through to the Principal Floor, all the way up to
the top of the building, but because of the invasive nature of the work and the extent
of the work that is needed to complete it, the compartmentation will take quite a while
longer.
>> Narrator
Thereís over 6000 fire safety devices in the Palace, including break-glass call points,
smoke detectors, and voice alarms.
At the moment, they function adequately but they are reaching the end of their working
life, and coverage by automatic fire detection and alarm systems must be extended to comply
with modern standards.
Theyíre part of the infrastructure that links the fire alarm system to the control room
ñ but many of them only give very limited signals.
Also, this infrastructure services the entire Estate, not only the Palace ñ and because
of its age, it wonít support the more modern, data heavy systems which have been installed.
>> David Kaye
Theyíve got devices, theyíve got automatic smoke detection in all the offices.
We need to be able to go in there, remove that, remove the break glass call points if
they are there, and rewire.
In a room like this for example, we would have to replace that smoke detector which
would include the wiring as well.
If the wiring is traced down the walls anywhere then we would have to disturb the wallpaper.
Thereíd be scaffolding in here, no one would be able to use it as a meeting room so therefore
this place would be out of bounds for a considerable time.
>> Narrator
Despite all of these problems, the Palace is a safe environment for people to work in
and visit, because everyone remains vigilant.
And a fire safety improvement programme, as well as appropriate measures, are in place
to reduce the risk of fire as far as possible.
These include a team of experienced fire officers, on call 24 hours a day to investigate and
deal with suspected incidents, and to carry out regular inspections and patrols.
The basement is thought to be the area at highest risk of fire, because of congested
mechanical and electrical services, and the difficulty of access for the fire brigade.
A sprinkler system is virtually impossible to install without first resolving the intensely
overcrowded corridors.
However, the current programme will deliver a high pressure water mist system and smaller
pipes, pumps and water supplies to the basement and high risk areas.
So, substantial work needs to be done to complete the compartmentation and to fit out and equip
the Palace so that it meets modern fire safety standards, and ensures the long term safety
of the building.
To find out more please watch the other videos in this series.