Museums are institutions that collect and display rare and valuable paintings, artifacts, and other historical items, and are visited by thousands of people each year. Because of this, every precaution must be taken to prevent a fire from breaking out and, if it does, to minimize the danger to art collections and life. As fires often create a state of panic and people run from any direction, it is necessary to place large and clear fire exit signs throughout the premises.

Some of the important signs on display in museums are:

Do not use elevators

Evacuate – the fire is out of control

follow exit signs

walk at normal pace

Wait outside the building until the All Clear signal is given.

People present when a fire breaks out inside the museum and who manage to get outside safely once the fire is under control should help by reporting missing persons.

All public buildings, such as museums, etc., must have emergency exits that lead to a safe place as directly as possible. Such escape routes must also be free of obstructions. Fire exit doors should swing out easily and the escape route should be well lit. If lighting is poor, emergency lighting should be provided so that any safety equipment being used can be easily located. Some public buildings have fire doors as well as fire exit doors. The difference is that fire doors are designed to compartmentalize sections of the building in the event of a fire. They may not necessarily have an escape route in the event of a fire. While fire exit doors are made to allow people to exit the building quickly and safely in the event of a fire.

In addition to having the fire exit signs and fire exit doors above, the management of public buildings such as museums, etc. You must ensure that all emergency exit hardware is regularly maintained. They must check the operation of the starting device, the security of the fixings and the condition of the components. Another important mechanism that could be useful if there is a fire situation is a holdback device. This device helps exit doors stay in the open position allowing people to pass through easily. Special panic bars fixed on fire escape doors when pressed, help to open the door and help people to escape freely. There are also push bars that, under normal circumstances, are kept closed to prevent unauthorized access. Pressing the push bar releases the two previous mechanisms.

Many governments have laws that stipulate that escape routes in public buildings must have specific dimensions with respect to width. The width will depend on the number of people who may have to use these escape routes. If a building has more than one story, people on the upper floors may not have access to an escape route. Therefore, escape routes on the lower level must be large enough to accommodate several people at one time, and these routes must be clearly marked with fire exit signs.