In a hospital, patient health and safety are the top priorities. Installing a fire protection system should also be a priority, as it will promote the safety of the patients, staff, and visitors of the hospital.
A Hospital’s Unique Risks
Evacuation – Proper fire protection is a necessity for hospitals for several reasons. First, patients in hospitals are often severely injured or critically ill, making walking independently very difficult or even impossible. For this reason, it is crucial for a hospital to have fire protection that will quickly extinguish a fire or detect a fire in its early stages to buy valuable time to evacuate patients who cannot move on their own. Another risk in larger hospitals is having many floors. If a fire occurs on a higher-level floor, it can make evacuation even more difficult.
Surgical Procedures – Fires pose a serious danger to patients during surgical procedures. Many surgeries cannot be interrupted because it could cause loss of patient life. Fire prevention is critical to the surgery completion and the life of the patient.
Labs with Flammable Materials- Many hospitals have labs where specimens are sent for testing. These labs often use flammable materials and chemicals that can cause fires. Hospital labs must be equipped with the proper fire suppression methods and be regularly inspected to help prevent a fire from breaking out.
Kitchens – The leading cause of fires in hospitals is kitchen fires. It is important that kitchen hood suppression systems and fire extinguishers are in proper condition and up to code to prevent fires from occurring in hospital kitchens.
Special Hazards Fire Protection
In a hospital, there is often expensive equipment such as MRI machines that are expensive and can pose fire dangers. This equipment cannot be protected by the traditional fire sprinkler. Instead, fire suppression agents must be used to prevent water damage to the MRI machines. In addition, many hospitals have data centers where patient information is stored electronically. Loss of the patient data due to fire could have dire consequences. Special hazards fire protection must be installed to protect data centers. Clean agent fire suppression systems or water mist suppression may be used to extinguish fire in these areas without damaging the equipment.
W&M Sprinkler Installs Sprinklers in Hospitals
W & M Sprinkler installs fire protection systems in institutional facilities including hospitals. We have installed sprinkler systems in many hospitals including Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, Phelps Memorial Hospital, St. Vincent’s Hospital, and Northern Westchester Hospital. We understand the importance of proper fire protection in hospitals. W & M Sprinkler was founded in 1993 and has 3 office locations to serve customers in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Contact us today to learn more about our fire protection services.