In this article, we will discuss fire alarm systems in hospitals and what can be the optimum to secure your hospital against fire crises in the right way.
Fires may threaten the lives of patients and users of medical facilities at risk and loss and damage to property as a result of the absence of safety requirements when constructing health facilities without fireproofing or not being equipped with fire alarms and firefighting and training teams within hospitals on how to handle fire cases.
Therefore, an employer should take appropriate safety measures in the workplace to assure their compliance with health and safety regulations and also keep their workforce safe. Such safety measures include providing adequate fire awareness training to work staff, appointing designated fire wardens, and placing fire safety equipment such as fire extinguishers and fire alarms in the workplace.
Sources of Danger in Hospitals
• Leave electrical appliances running constantly.
• High voltage electrical equipment.
• The fat accumulated in the pipes to expel smoke from the kitchens.
• Improper storage of chemicals used in hygiene.
• Chemicals and heat sources in laboratories.
• Boiler rooms / industrial boilers.
• Specialized maintenance contractors carry out welding work during maintenance without complying with the conditions of prevention and safety.
• arson, especially in the case of mental hospitals.
List of Potential Fire Hazards in the Hospital
- Fire caused by afforestation and cleaning services.
- A fire resulting from improper storage of flammable materials.
- A fire resulting from the storage of flammable liquids.
- A fire caused by storing hazardous materials in laboratories.
- Poor maintenance of fire alarm equipment and systems at the university.
- A fire resulting from storage of liquefied petroleum gas (LpG).
- A fire resulting from poor arrangement and coordination in emergency exits and service rooms.
- Fire resulting from poor application of safety conditions in laboratories.
- Unclear procedures in case of fire.
- Training on how to use manual fire extinguishers and how to evacuate in case of emergency.
- Lack of fire protection devices (extinguishing systems or alarm systems or both).
- Absence of indicative and warning safety signs for emergency exit paths, external and internal assembly points, and naming service rooms in buildings.
- Fire risks for university contractors for projects, maintenance and operational processes.
- Fire risks from unauthorized modifications inside buildings and public facilities.
The Importance of Fire Alarm Systems in Hospitals
Fire alarm systems are an important part of hospital safety. They are used to notify staff and patients of a fire, and to provide instructions on what to do. Fire alarm systems in hospitals vary, but typically include smoke detectors, heat detectors, and manual pull stations. When a fire is detected, the alarm system will activate, and sound a loud alarm to notify everyone in the hospital of the fire.
Whats Happens in Fire Situations !
Fire crises occupy a leading place in the Arab countries compared to cold countries, due to the nature of climatic conditions and factors related to high temperatures and the nature of human activities accompanying. Fire alarm systems and equipment are divided into two main types:-
First: automatic fire alarm systems in hospitals
Second: Manual fire alarm systems in hospitals
Automatic Fire Alarm System in Hospitals
Automatic warning systems are used in places and halls where the possibilities of fires increase and the large losses that may result in a short period of time. These systems work by being affected by fire phenomena, some of which are affected by flame or heat.
Automatic alarms are distinguished from manual devices in that they do not depend on humans in their operation, as well as shortening the time period between the moment the fire occurred and the moment it was discovered, which allows for the speed of intervention and the effectiveness of fire control and control operations, thus reducing the size of the losses resulting from it.
And the parts that make up the system Automatic alarms are: sensors, dashboard, alarm bell, means of calling the firefighters, network components, and means for testing and maintaining the system.
1- Detectors, which are of two types:
The first is a sensitive head affected by heat detectors, and it must be sensitive to the degree that it responds and is quickly affected by high temperature, but it must not be so sensitive that it is affected by the mere natural change in the weather temperature that changes with the change of seasons, which leads to false alarms. Also, when installing alarms, the nature of the place must be taken into account, as an unusual rise in temperature may occur as a result of the presence of sources of heating or the use of heat for manufacturing purposes, or because the place is naturally exposed to the heat of the sun.
The second is the smoke detectors, which are of two types, the first of which is affected when smoke, fumes or gases resulting from the fire rise and pass through an ionization chamber, and the second type is affected by the fact that smoke, fumes or gases resulting from the fire intercept the rays radiated from an electric cell. Smoke detectors are more sensitive than thermal detectors, but there are some considerations in choosing the most appropriate automatic alarm devices, as it may not be appropriate in some places to install smoke detectors and prefer thermal detectors or vice versa.
2- Visual Indicating Panels
It is usually installed in a suitable place approved by the competent firefighting authority, and each heat or smoke detector head has an independent circuit connected to a special indicator on a part of the panel, so that it is easy to infer the location of the fire. This panel is equipped with a means to test the connections of the system to ensure their safety and validity, and some of these panels are equipped with a means to clarify the false alarm resulting from a defect in the system connections.
3- Audible Warning Devices
These means give distinguishable audible sounds such as bell, whistle, horn and siren, and the warning sound must be clear and audible inside the building or in the specific part of the building where the warning sound is required according to the exigencies of the situation, it may be required that the warning be comprehensive within the building.
The comprehensive audible warning may not be appropriate in some places that have a special character, such as hospitals and major shops, where issuing the alarm inside them leads to panic among the hesitant people in the place, and therefore it is required in such places that the sound of the warning be heard only in the control room or guard For supervisors and specialists only to hear it.
In such cases, light warning devices are installed that give specific signals so that all those working in the place know that the fire has occurred, so that each of them can take the measures known to him and related to the fight or evacuation of the building in an organized manner.
4- A way to call specialized firefighters
The automatic alarm system does not perform the purpose for which it is intended unless the firefighters are notified of the required speed so that they can fight and besiege the fire, and this is done by installing a direct line between the explanatory board and the control room at the Civil Defense and Fire Department, where the notification is made automatically as soon as the alarm system becomes operational.
5- Network Components
All wires for the installation of the alarm system should be in conformity with the specifications and approved by the official technical authority, and it is also necessary that the operation of the alarm system depend on electrical suppliers, one of whom is the main current of the building and the other is secondary (batteries) used in the event of a main power outage in order to ensure that the alarm system His job in all circumstances.
6- Means of testing and maintaining the alarm system
- It is necessary to constantly ensure the safety and validity of the alarm system and the adequacy of the electrical resources feeding it, by testing the system at regular times and informing all persons inside the building of the dates of these experiments, provided that the devices return to their condition after the experiments
Inspect all system installations by technicians specialized in these works, and the validity of the batteries for feeding the secondary current warning system must be tested at the time of the original power outage. The inspection is carried out at regular intervals on an ongoing basis, and the results of the inspection must be recorded in a special record for that.
The following must be observed regarding the exposed head:
· Not to cover the exposed head installed under the ceilings with any paint so as not to lose its sensitivity.
- A shield or barrier shall be installed around the exposed head to protect it from potential shocks as a result of the impacts of movables, provided that this cover does not affect the sensitivity of the head.
Manual Fire Alarm Systems in Hospitals
The work of this system is based mainly on the person pressing the alarm button, and often glass compressors are distributed in all components of the building and the alarm is triggered by breaking the glass cover and the signal is sent to the control panel.
The alarm devices should be fed with a secondary electric current other than the main electric current so that these devices can be used in the event of the original power outage.
The explanatory board or the map showing the locations of the alarms distributed inside the building must be located next to the main entrance so that it is easy to locate the fire and it is desirable that there be Another panel in the main telephone room or the security and guard room, and other manual alarm devices (telephone alarms – loudspeakers – light signals).
Devices are used to follow up on safety and security procedures inside the hospital
A- Technical investigation devices for deliberate fires.
B – Hospital environment monitoring devices.
C- Measuring devices for hazardous materials and waste.
D- Monitoring devices for fumigation operations.
c- carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide monitors.
H- Ultrasound detectors.
g- Fire protection system.
