Ypres (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The Westhoek Fire Department in Ypres practised a rescue plan at the Cloth Hall, focusing on saving people and valuable items. Kristof Louagie and curator Els Veraverbeke led the exercise.
As VRT News reported, the Westhoek Fire Department in Ypres recently practised a new plan for emergencies at the Cloth Hall, a historical building on the Grote Markt. Kristof Louagie, who works for the fire department, said that before this, there wasn’t a specific plan for the Cloth Hall. This exercise was a first, and it was very important.
According to officials, the only other place in Flanders with a similar plan is the Antwerp Cathedral. The training was set up like a real fire, starting on the roof of the Cloth Hall. The fire department had to do different things, like searching for someone missing in the basement and rescuing a person from the tower. They also focused on protecting the museum’s valuable collections from getting damaged by the fire.
How did the Ypres fire dept. Train to save lives and art at the cloth hall?
Els Veraverbeke, who works as a curator, helped with the training exercise. She helped the team decide which items to save first. She wanted to save everything, but that wasn’t possible during the exercise. So, they chose pieces that were different, important, and special. They picked the most valuable and historically significant items to protect.
She mentioned that this exercise was a crucial step for the fire department. It helped them get ready for real emergencies at the Cloth Hall. They learned how to save people and protect important cultural items. The training was about balancing saving lives and preserving history.
The idea for the rescue exercise came from the big fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in 2019. The fire was very destructive. The rescue at Notre Dame saved people and many important items. Officials mentioned that in the training, saving people was the most important thing. Next, they worked to save the famous buildings. After that, they saved the valuable objects inside.
Cezara Vanacker was part of the exercise and acted like someone who needed to be saved. She was lowered from a high place using ropes and a harness. She said she wasn’t scared of heights, which helped her stay calm. She liked the exercise and said she would do it again.
