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."
Contaminants Under Foot: A Closer Look at Patient Room Floors
Power Outages Largely Driven by Extreme Weather Events
Nemours Children's Health Opens New Moseley Foundation Institute Hospital
Code Compliance Isn't Enough for Healthcare Resilience
Ribbon Cutting Marks First Phase Completion for New Montefiore Einstein Facility