In an article on the Consulting-Specifying Engineer website, engineers with healthcare experience offer tips on fire and life safety issues
They were asked what unique fire suppression or life safety systems they've specified or designed in a hospital.
"Recently, I was involved in a renovation of a six-story patient bed tower that required the central air handling units (AHUs) to remain operational in the event of a fire," said Paul J. Orzewicz, project manager for RMF Engineering Inc. in Baltimore.
"However, this was not the typical smoke control mode where only a portion of the building needed to remain pressurized; instead the entire building needed to remain under control by the BAS for patient comfort. To achieve this, the AHUs go to 100% outside mode and an extensive network of isolation dampers (controlled through the BAS and fire alarm system) automatically rebalances each floor to a negative pressure with a positive pressure air lock outside each floor’s entrance lobby."
The Role of Biophilic Design in Healthcare Facilities
TriStar Centennial Medical Center Invests $90M in Women, Children's Hospital Expansions
Virginia Cancer Specialists to Open Newly Expanded Fauquier Location
Emergency Preparedness: Building a Stronger Community
Ground Broken on Lavine Bekenstein Cancer Hospital in Massachusetts