Robust, reliable systems paramount

Stuart Brown, business manager, Scotland, at Gent by Honeywell, examines some of the fundamentals and complexities in getting the selection of fire alarm and detection systems ‘right’ in hospitals and other healthcare facilities – not only to ensure optimal protection for all occupants, but also to minimise the risk of potentially disruptive false alarms.

While many NHS Trusts and hospitals are struggling under the weight of growing financial pressure, one area that cannot fall prey to increasing budget cuts is fire safety. Within institutions that exist to protect the public’s health, a fundamental requirement is to adequately protect the building and its occupants from the risk of fire, and to ensure that the most robust fire detection and alarm (FD&A) system is in place. 

Hospital environments present one of the most challenging areas of fire detection in the public sector. The high risk combination includes the potential need to evacuate hundreds of vulnerable people, and the presence of an infinite number of flammable products, with extremely sensitive areas of the property, such as operating theatres. All hospitals need the highest quality FD&A solutions, and ones that are sufficiently flexible to cope with such a demanding environment – from detectors that can accurately distinguish between fire and unknown particles to minimise unwanted false alarms, to the most appropriate form of visual or voice alert to inform patients and employees of an incident.