Cathedral Security: Thermal Cameras on the Front Line Against Fires
On April 15, 2019, the whole world watched helplessly as the devastating fire ravaged the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris. This tragedy has highlighted glaring flaws in the prevention of this risk within historic monuments. After five years of work, Notre-Dame has reopened its doors to the public, equipped with a particularly robust firefighting system. Among the devices selected, thermal cameras will play a major role in the prevention and detection of future fire outbreaks at their earliest stage. The recommended use of thermal cameras in the 87 other French cathedrals, owned by the State, could well be the keystone of the preservation of France’s national heritage.
Cathedrals: monuments particularly vulnerable to fires
What are the causes of fires in cathedrals?
Considering their architecture, their great age and their public use, Cathedrals are buildings with a high risk of fire. Incidents occur regularly, which can lead to a large-scale disaster on the scale of Notre-Dame. The “cathedral safety” plan, drawn up by the Ministry of Culture from October 2019, identifies the main causes of fires in historic monuments.
First among these causes is electrical incidents, which are the cause of 30% of fires. But this report has also highlighted another recurring cause of fire, on which the government has decided to strengthen prevention since the Notre-Dame disaster: hot work (defined by HASpod as “any activity or process that generates a source of ignition, this could be through a flame, heat or a spark”.)
Hot work: the second cause of fires in cathedrals
Industrial sites are far from the only ones affected by fires started by hot work. Historic monuments, which are often the subject of renovation work, have their share of accidents during renovation projects.
The case of Notre-Dame also illustrates this point: although the exact origin of the fire is still unknown, the investigation showed that the fire broke out during work on the roof. More recently, on September 30, 2024, a fire was reported at Beauvais Cathedral, also under renovation. While this incident was quickly brought under control, it underscores the importance of increased surveillance during these types of interventions.
Notre-Dame: a model for fire prevention
Lessons learned from the 2019 fire
The Notre-Dame fire revealed the existence of malfunctions in the early detection systems of fires, and the total absence of measures to contain the fire.
In response to this event, and in parallel with the reconstruction of the building, the French government launched in October 2019 the “cathedral security” plan aimed at modernizing the fire safety systems in these emblematic monuments. Revised in May 2023, the plan includes 58 actions to be applied to all French cathedrals, immediately or gradually.
An innovative firefighting system for a cathedral
The reconstruction of Notre-Dame was therefore the perfect opportunity to integrate advanced technologies and develop the most advanced fire safety system for a cathedral.
Among the key measures selected, we can mention the installation of about thirty fixed thermal cameras, which continuously monitor temperature variations within the building. Connected to a brand-new checkpoint located in the presbytery, these cameras ensure permanent surveillance of the premises, which makes it possible to detect anomalies early and to act well before a fire breaks out.
The Importance of Thermal Cameras in Fire Prevention for Cathedrals
Equipment at the heart of the fire safety plan for cathedrals
“If there had been thermal cameras at the time, in 2019, we wouldn’t have experienced this,” says Pascal Mignerey, from the Ministry of Culture.
Now considered an essential firefighting facility, the “cathedral safety” plan makes it mandatory to use thermal cameras to monitor hot work areas (point 6) during a renovation project in a cathedral. This measure was immediately implemented in the cathedral of Puy-en-Velay during recent renovation work, which began at the end of 2023.
Among the measures to be implemented gradually, the plan also provides for the possibility of using this technology on a permanent basis in risk areas, on the model of Notre-Dame (point 20).
Thermal cameras or thermal detectors
Obviously, cameras do not function in isolation. To serve as tools for monitoring hot work areas or for permanent security surveillance, cameras need software to detect and react to abnormal temperature variations. This software can be embarked in devices, or cameras can be connected to software on a server via a network.
The term “camera” is also perhaps misleading. There is certainly no need for a full-HD thermal camera to perform effective safety monitoring. The UTC-SD Fire IoT device with a fish-eye lens, was designed specifically to monitor hot work over a zone of 26m x 15m and a distance up to 10 meters. These features allow it to satisfy point 6 of the French Cathedral Security plan. The UTC-SD Fire is also autonomous. On-board software allows the detector to sound an alarm and send alerts by SMS or email.
UTC-SD devices can also be installed in a network with the UTC-Supervision software to monitor larger areas and this can be an attractive solution for point 20 of the Cathedral Security plan.
If you are interested in learning more about our solutions, download our product brochure or contact us directly.
On April 15, 2019, the whole world watched helplessly as the devastating fire ravaged the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris. This tragedy has highlighted glaring flaws in the prevention of this risk within historic monuments. After five years of work, Notre-Dame has reopened its doors to the public, equipped with a particularly robust firefighting system. Among the devices selected, thermal cameras will play a major role in the prevention and detection of future fire outbreaks at their earliest stage. The recommended use of thermal cameras in the 87 other French cathedrals, owned by the State, could well be the keystone of the preservation of France’s national heritage.
Cathedrals: monuments particularly vulnerable to fires
What are the causes of fires in cathedrals?
Considering their architecture, their great age and their public use, Cathedrals are buildings with a high risk of fire. Incidents occur regularly, which can lead to a large-scale disaster on the scale of Notre-Dame. The “cathedral safety” plan, drawn up by the Ministry of Culture from October 2019, identifies the main causes of fires in historic monuments.
First among these causes is electrical incidents, which are the cause of 30% of fires. But this report has also highlighted another recurring cause of fire, on which the government has decided to strengthen prevention since the Notre-Dame disaster: hot work (defined by HASpod as “any activity or process that generates a source of ignition, this could be through a flame, heat or a spark”.)
Hot work: the second cause of fires in cathedrals
Industrial sites are far from the only ones affected by fires started by hot work. Historic monuments, which are often the subject of renovation work, have their share of accidents during renovation projects.
The case of Notre-Dame also illustrates this point: although the exact origin of the fire is still unknown, the investigation showed that the fire broke out during work on the roof. More recently, on September 30, 2024, a fire was reported at Beauvais Cathedral, also under renovation. While this incident was quickly brought under control, it underscores the importance of increased surveillance during these types of interventions.
Notre-Dame: a model for fire prevention
Lessons learned from the 2019 fire
The Notre-Dame fire revealed the existence of malfunctions in the early detection systems of fires, and the total absence of measures to contain the fire.
In response to this event, and in parallel with the reconstruction of the building, the French government launched in October 2019 the “cathedral security” plan aimed at modernizing the fire safety systems in these emblematic monuments. Revised in May 2023, the plan includes 58 actions to be applied to all French cathedrals, immediately or gradually.
An innovative firefighting system for a cathedral
The reconstruction of Notre-Dame was therefore the perfect opportunity to integrate advanced technologies and develop the most advanced fire safety system for a cathedral.
Among the key measures selected, we can mention the installation of about thirty fixed thermal cameras, which continuously monitor temperature variations within the building. Connected to a brand-new checkpoint located in the presbytery, these cameras ensure permanent surveillance of the premises, which makes it possible to detect anomalies early and to act well before a fire breaks out.
The Importance of Thermal Cameras in Fire Prevention for Cathedrals
Equipment at the heart of the fire safety plan for cathedrals
“If there had been thermal cameras at the time, in 2019, we wouldn’t have experienced this,” says Pascal Mignerey, from the Ministry of Culture.
Now considered an essential firefighting facility, the “cathedral safety” plan makes it mandatory to use thermal cameras to monitor hot work areas (point 6) during a renovation project in a cathedral. This measure was immediately implemented in the cathedral of Puy-en-Velay during recent renovation work, which began at the end of 2023.
Among the measures to be implemented gradually, the plan also provides for the possibility of using this technology on a permanent basis in risk areas, on the model of Notre-Dame (point 20).
Thermal cameras or thermal detectors
Obviously, cameras do not function in isolation. To serve as tools for monitoring hot work areas or for permanent security surveillance, cameras need software to detect and react to abnormal temperature variations. This software can be embarked in devices, or cameras can be connected to software on a server via a network.
The term “camera” is also perhaps misleading. There is certainly no need for a full-HD thermal camera to perform effective safety monitoring. The UTC-SD Fire IoT device with a fish-eye lens, was designed specifically to monitor hot work over a zone of 26m x 15m and a distance up to 10 meters. These features allow it to satisfy point 6 of the French Cathedral Security plan. The UTC-SD Fire is also autonomous. On-board software allows the detector to sound an alarm and send alerts by SMS or email.
UTC-SD devices can also be installed in a network with the UTC-Supervision software to monitor larger areas and this can be an attractive solution for point 20 of the Cathedral Security plan.
If you are interested in learning more about our solutions, download our product brochure or contact us directly.
