In the museum world, ‘preservation’ usually refers to the artifacts in the archives. But as we move toward the April 2027 enforcement of Martyn’s Law, that definition is expanding. For those managing museums and galleries, the focus is now squarely on the people walking through the halls.
If your museum holds more than 200 people, the ‘duty to protect’ is no longer just a phrase in a safety manual. It is a legal requirement that demands a fresh look at how we communicate during a crisis.
The problem with the ‘fire drill’ mindset
For years, the gold standard for safety in public buildings has been the fire drill. We hear a siren, we walk to a designated door, and we stand in a specific spot outside. However, as the 2026 guidance makes clear, a security incident requires a completely different, and much more flexible approach.
Museums are unique environments. High ceilings, stone floors, and quiet galleries create an atmosphere where a harsh, piercing siren can cause more harm than good. Instead of moving towards safety, visitors tend to stand still, look at others and try to guess what each siren means. In a situation where seconds count, the confusion is a major risk.
Rethinking the response: Evacuate, Invacuate, Lockdown
Compliance by 2027 isn’t just about having an exit strategy. It’s about having the right response for the right threat.
The current standards require museums to be able to switch between three distinct modes. You may need to evacuate people away from an internal threat, but you might just as easily need to invacuate (bringing people from outdoor courtyards) because the danger is on the street. In other cases, a lockdown might be the only safe option, requiring you to tell visitors to stay exactly where they are and secure the room.
A standard fire alarm cannot tell the difference between these three needs. A bell is just a bell.
The power of the human voice
This is why the conversation around the Act has shifted so heavily toward voice communication.
Research consistently shows that in a high stress environment, people react much faster to a calm, authoritative human voice than to a mechanical buzzer. By using clear, pre-recorded instructions, you take the guesswork out of the hands of the visitor. You aren’t asking them to remember a protocol, you are telling them exactly what to do in real-time.
For a museum, this communication needs to be zoned. You might need to tell one wing to stay put while directing another area to leave through a specific side exit. This level of control is what turns a basic building into a protected environment.
Safety requirements are built around taking sensible steps. Essentially, it’s asking a simple question: If a crisis happened today, while the threat level is severe, could I tell every person in this building what to do within ten seconds?
If the answer is no, then now is the time to bridge that gap. The 2027 deadline may seem a long way off, but as the national threat level reminds us, the best time to prepare is before the need arises. By updating how we communicate today, we ensure that museums remain what they have always been: safe, inspiring spaces where the only thing visitors have to focus on is the history in front of them.
