Historic churches with irreplaceable architectural features and artworks require sensitive fire protection approaches.. Heritage Church Fire Protection The UK has approximately 16,000 listed churches, many dating to the medieval period. Sensitive Protection Approaches Aspirating smoke detection (hidden pipework) Water mist suppression (minimal water damage) Lightning protection (major cause of church fires) Electrical inspection regime Bat mitigation (bat droppings are a fire risk) Volunteer fire warden networks Heritage crime prevention (arson is a significant risk) For heritage building fire safety, contact Magnus Opifex.