Fire exercise at the Museum's Collections Centre

The National Motor Museum cares for its collections to ensure they are preserved for future generations to enjoy. The vehicles in the museum are only the start. There are over 1.9 million motoring items and archives in our Collections Centre – hidden among the trees at Beaulieu.

Recently the National Motor Museum worked closely with Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service to plan a simulated emergency event affecting all three floors of the Collection Centre building.

The fire exercise occurred on the evening of Monday 28 September. The building houses our Arts Council Designated collections including the Reference Library, Motoring Archive, Film & Video Collection, and the Photographic and Object Collections. However, we also share the building with our friends in Vintage Tyres, who agreed for the simulated fire to be set in their offices on the middle floor.

A smoke machine was used to simulate the emergency and two dummies placed to represent two casualties that were missing once the building was evacuated. Several of the local fire station crews attended and breathing apparatus was used to enter the building, rescue the casualties and stop the “fire”. There was also a test to check if sufficient water pressure could be obtained by running a hose from Boarman Pond, on the Beaulieu Estate.

Working with the Beaulieu Estate team, the exercise was a great opportunity for the National Motor Museum Trust team to test their Emergency Plan in action to ensure precious collections can be rescued and salvaged in this sort of – real-life – scenario. Our salvage team responded to the incident according to the plans and worked with the fire fighters to remove mock collections items (prepared in advance) from both the basement and the top floor. The items in the basement would have been at risk of water damage if it had been a real middle floor fire, and those on the top floor would have been at risk of smoke damage.

The whole exercise went well, and we have come away with lots of learnings and opportunities to enhance the plans going forward.

Our thanks to Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service and all those involved in making this such a success.