Otego has announced the launch of Fireguard, a protective cover designed to shield works of art, valuables and antiquities against the effects of intense heat, soot, smoke and water.

Intended for museums, religious spaces, auction rooms and private collectors, Fireguard is the product of decades of research and collaboration with firefighters and major cultural and religious establishments.

The innovative textile, comprising a mineral fibre layer and a metallised outer layer, is already helping to protect the treasures of cultural institutions across France, including The Louvre Museum in Paris. 

Grégoire Bernand, Fireguard Product Manager at Otego outlined the situations in which Fireguard can prove indispensable: “All museums, art galleries and other cultural and religious spaces are recommended to have a list of priority works which, in the event of flood or fire, would be saved as a priority. Ideally, such works would be extracted from the building but often, because of weight, size, accessibility or value, these artworks have to be protected in situ. These situations are where Fireguard can prove as priceless as the pieces it protects.”

Fireguard is stored at site, ready to be deployed by firefighters in accordance with the gallery, museum or cathedral’s emergency plan. When called upon, the extremely thin, flexible and adaptable construction makes it easy to quickly wrap or tuck Fireguard around sculptures and artwork. 

Fireguard offers protection against radiant heat (C4 classification to ISO 11612), soot and smoke. It is also fully waterproof, offering protection against sprinkler systems and hose water as well as flame.

A range of six standard sizes together with ‘custom’ options and the ability to combine covers enables Fireguard to be tailored to protect artwork of almost any size. It weighs 100g/m2, making it easy to manoeuvre and deploy with minimal stress on the item it protects.

Thierry Mosa, President of Otego said: “Our covers allow on-site protection of any type of artwork and has received acclaim from numerous fire and rescue services in France and overseas. Effective and versatile, Fireguard’s lightweight compactness, combined with its powerfully effective heat-protecting metallised layer, distinguishes it from any similar product on the market, making it not only more effective against heat, smoke and water, but also easier and faster to deploy.”

Mosa added: “We are talking to museums and galleries across France and the rest of the world, but Fireguard’s potential extends to collectors, auction houses and all art professionals who wish to protect their treasures. We look forward to working with all organisations and individuals who wish to explore the wider protective applications of Fireguard.”