Topic
Impact of Extinguisher Agents on Museum Collections
Schedule
11:30AM: Networking
12:00PM: Introductions and lunch
12:30PM: Presentation
1:30PM: Conclusion of Meeting
Speaker
Deborah Freeland, Senior Vice President, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.
Summary
The NFPA Committee on the Protection of Cultural Resources embarked on a project led by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and the Smithsonian Institution, with technical direction from the National Fire Protection Research Foundation and Hughes Associates, and a grant from ILMS (Institute of Museum & Library Services) to identify the impact of different portable fire extinguishing agents on different types of materials found in museum collections. This presentation will focus on the goals and strategy of the testing and research, review preliminary findings, and identify additional questions raised by the initial research.
Bio
Since 1985, Debbie Freeland has focused her specialty on fire protection for museums, libraries, and cultural properties and their collections. She is past chair of NFPA’s Committee on the Protection of Cultural Resources responsible for NFPA 909 & 914, and currently serves as chair of the task group responsible for NFPA 909, Code for the Protection of Cultural Resource Properties – Museums, Libraries and Places of Worship. She has recently been appointed editor of the section of the NFPA Handbook devoted to protection of Museums, Libraries and their Collections, and has presented at the Smithsonian Conference on Cultural Property Protection, the American Association of Museums, and at seminars on protection of collections, museums and historic buildings in Italy, Slovenia, Great Britain, Austria, and several other European countries. Debbie is on the technical panel of this project to evaluate the effect of different extinguishing agents on different types of collection materials and appropriate salvage and cleaning methods following exposure.