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August 25, 1999, Part II

++moderator's request for information about ART-PROTECT++
- Saving Museum Artifacts From Fire Damage (William Heidecker: the removal of museum artifacts during a fire)
- Robert J. Allen Deputy Manager Protection Services Philadelphia Museum of Art would appreciate a phone call from some Curators and Security Department heads
- Sprinkler systems query
- Re: Future within the realm of forgeries & art theft detection / Susan Rose (Klaus Zimmermann, MICOT corporation)

++moderator's request for information about ART-PROTECT++

Dear Subscribers,
August 17 I forwarded a message by Mr. Alexander E.R. Triebold about his WWW endeavor ART-PROTECT (see below). Several times I tried to get additional information or permission to visit his password protected website in order to be able to review his service.
My requests remained unanswered.

Does anyone of you have access to ART-PROTECT or in any other way any experience with this project? Since the access code to enter this site is rather expensive I advice all of you not to buy this code until more information about the quality of this service is available.
Ton Cremers
----------------
Date sent: Tue, 17 Aug 1999 10:19:11 +0200
From: art-protect gmbh tefaf-artprotect@bluewin.ch
To: securma@museum-security.org
Subject: introduction of art-protect

Ladies and Gentlemen,
To my surprise I have noticed your listing of art recovering organizations on the internet all over the world but without naming our organization. ART-PROTECT is probably the worlds only on-line database listing all kind of lost art and of value. Every object is described in four languages ( German, French, Italian and English) and a photograph. A special search engine will help to find the particular piece of thousands one is looking for. All advertisements concerning lost and stolen art to be registered are free of charge. The access code to enter the database costs CHF 1'000.-- entrance fee and CHF 250.-- for the annual period for un unlimited access of all staff members of a company. Our address is: ART-PROTECT GMBH. Netzibodenstrasse 23 C CH - 4133 PRATTELN / Switzerland Tel: ++41 61 813 09 05 Fax.:++41 61 813 09 05 Internet: http://www.art-protect.ch Director: Mr. Alexander E.R. Triebold
e-mail:tefaf-artprotect@bluewin.ch
with kind regards A. Triebold

From: "William A. Heidecker" heideckerwa@worldnet.att.net
Subject:

Saving Museum Artifacts From Fire Damage

The following is the text of an e-mail sent in response to a question by a fire officer regarding the removal of museum artifacts during a fire. The response is not considered to be a complete discussion, but is an overview of the problem presented from a firefighting perspective. However, museum conservators may find the discussion to be of some value.
From a tactical standpoint, several issues must be considered:
1. Manpower: Moving anything requires manpower and most fire departments simply don't have the manpower, at least not in the early stages of the incident. As with any other serious fire, logistical constraints may dictate tactics. How are manpower resources to be allocated between firefighting and salvage? 2. Removing the objects presents an array of problems: A. Security: How do you provide security for the objects removed? How do you prevent spectators from gathering "souvenirs"? Could the fire have been deliberately set to provide an opportunity for theft? A heavy police presence will also be required, but this too may be difficult in the early stages of the incident. B. Damage in handling: Many objects must be handled very carefully to prevent damage. Faced with an ongoing fire and a lack of manpower, some damage is almost inevitable. Is the fire department willing to assume this responsibility? C. Damage due to exposure to weather and ambient conditions: If the weather includes precipitation, high humidity, wind, or temperature extremes, artifacts may be damaged. One might also add: engine exhaust from fire department engines, smoke from the fire, and firefighting water runoff.
One must also acknowledge that it may not be practical to remove some objects, e.g., very large paintings or statues, during a fire emergency.
It seems to me that the onus for developing a salvage plan (protecting artifacts that are undamaged or which have suffered repairable damage) must be with the museum because they are the experts. Hospitals in the U.S. employ a scheme known as "horizontal evacuation." Acknowledging that moving patients vertically in a building during an emergency is impractical, patients are moved horizontally (i.e., on the same floor) to another area that is separated from the fire area by fire walls and doors. Even in a very serious fire, where vertical evacuation (i.e., out of the building) becomes necessary, horizontal evacuation buys some time until the patients can be moved. Perhaps a similar scheme would work in some museums. Where practicable, establish separation and compartmentation, Establish relocation zones (e.g., if the fire is in Room 6, artifacts in Room 6 would be moved to Location x.) It would also be useful for the museum to have an emergency call procedure so that museum staff, at least some of whom are knowledgeable about the basics of conservation, could assist and/or supervise moving. Pre-fire planning would also identify (1) those artifacts which, because of their value, must be saved if at all possible and (2) those that probably cannot be moved because of size, weight, etc., and (3) those artifacts of lesser value that should be left until more important objects have been removed.

In conclusion:
1. The secret is in the pre-fire planning; the time for planning is not when fire and the products of combustion are destroying the building and its contents.
2. The primary onus for pre-fire planning must be on museum staff because art conservation is simply beyond the expertise of most municipal fire departments.
3. The fire department's primary job will be firefighting. While I acknowledge the fire department's responsibility for salvage, expecting the fire department to relocate museum's artifacts during a fire is simply impractical because of staffing constraints.
4. Teamwork between the museum staff and the fire department, as well as any others who might be involved, is essential and the team must be formed, trained, and practiced before the emergency.

From: Bob Allen rjallen@philamuseum.org
Organization: Philadelphia Museum of Art
To: Security network securma@xs4all.nl
Subject:

Information

Hello Myname is Bob Allen and I am with the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I am looking for some information and I would appreciate a phone call from some Curators and Security Department heads. My phone number is 1 800 729 1801. I will not be in my office on Thursday August 26 ,1999 however I will be in on Friday August 27 , 1999.
I hope that I hear from some of you on Friday or Monday.
Thank You Robert J. Allen Deputy Manager Protection Services
Philadelphia Museum of Art

From: Anne Coco acoco@oscars.org
Subject:

Sprinkler systems

In our library, we have an on-off sprinkler system. We've been told that the heads for such a system are no longer UL listed. We've also been told we need to change the current heads. One suggestion is to go to a preactive system. Advice and comments please.
Anne Coco
Graphic Arts Librarian
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Margaret Herrick Library
333 S. La Cienega Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
310-247-3036, ext. 274
Fax: 310-657-5193

From: KlausZ@aol.com
Subject:

Re: Future within the realm of forgeries & art theft detection / Susan Rose

Dear Ms. Rose;

Just reading your request about information on forgeries and art theft detection we might be of some help. MICOTr Micro-Component-Tracer is a color-coded micro particle (sizes 15-25ľ, 25-32ľ) for authentication and identification of art objects against counterfeit, theft, forgery, etc. No fake art objects have any chance to be auctioned or sold anymore if authenticated with the owner's code combination. The particles are sprayed or brushed on the substrate, on the canvas of pictures, over registration marks, etc. Our MICOTr Tracer-Fiber can be stitched into a woven product. Our products are not visible to the naked eye and do not alter the original.
The authentication process should be recorded with a video camera as follows: ˇ Focus on the object and record any specifics or number; ˇ Record the marking and focus on the spot the marking is applied; ˇ Log the object into a register and focus on the registration number. The simple use of a UV light (365 nm) will identify the color code by reflection and a pocket microscope (>100x magnification) allows you to read the code sequence. Easy application of our MICOTr products, instant identification with inexpensive devices and cost-effective pricing make us very competitive.
In the case of change of ownership of an art object we recommend to authenticate the related documents with your customer code to avoid the transfer of stolen art with faked documents. I hope this information is helpful for a beginning. Check also our website at www.micot.com, please.
Sincerely,
Klaus K. Zimmermann
President
MICOT CORPORATION