A firefighter on a ladder extinguishes smoke rising from the tower of a church

Firefighter climbing the stairs inside a church, in the foreground a piece

A group of three women dressed in white coats handle a painting for its packaging with protective material

Emergencies in cultural heritage: fire drills

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Three essays on safeguarding cultural heritage in the Getafe Cathedral, the Alcalá de Henares Cathedral and the Villamanta Church and Museum

Two firefighters evacuate the statue of a virgin in a smoke-filled room

Four women place protective material on the statue of a virgin

The cultural heritage safeguarding sheets, a pioneering work tool promoted by the General Subdirectorate of Historical Heritage, have been designed to facilitate the work of emergency teams.

Its use has been put into practice in three fire drills, with the aim of examining the coordination between the different agents involved in the rescue and safeguarding of cultural heritage: the services of the Madrid 112 Security and Emergency Agency, the Fire Stations of the municipalities involved, Civil Protection, Local Police and National Police, volunteer restorers from the Madrid School of Restoration and Conservation of Cultural Assets and heritage technicians, under the training and coordination of Charo Fernández de las Heras, from the General Subdirectorate of Historical Heritage.

Drill in the Cathedral of Getafe

First test of safeguarding cultural heritage in case of emergency carried out at Getafe Cathedral in 2022.

A practical exercise that involved the rescue of a person trapped inside the temple, the evacuation of 16 movable assets and the protection in situ of another 17, according to the file of this building, the assembly of the tents in the triage and packaging area, and the transfer of the goods for their inspection and custody.

Simulation in the Magistral Cathedral of Alcalá de Henares

In 2023, following the success of the first simulation and with the aim of continuing to put into practice the training of the emergency services involved in this task, the space chosen for the second practical exercise was the Magistral Cathedral of Alcalá de Henares.

The technical coordinator of the drill and the Chief of the Alcalá de Henares Fire Department analyse the importance of this safeguarding instrument.

Fire drill at the Church and Museum of Villamanta

In 2024, the emergency drill was moved to the small town of Villamanta, where, for the first time, work was carried out in two adjoining buildings. The fire originated in the Parish Church of Santa Catalina de Alejandría and then spread, via the pavements, to the Casa del Tío Breva Museum, next to the church.

Once the goods had been evacuated and packed, they were taken to the Villamanta Civic Centre where volunteer restorers and technicians analysed their condition.