Focus: Fire-Life Safety / Column

Regulations, Codes & Standards Q&A: Does an Actual Alarm Count as a Fire Drill?

Brad Keyes discusses regulations for fire drills

By Brad Keyes / Special to Healthcare Facilities Today


Q: Can an actual fire alarm count as a fire drill? If I have the fire alarm go off for some reason, I would then want to make it count for a drill since the chimes and strobes when off. I have an accreditation surveyor who said that an actual alarm could not count.

A: An actual alarm on the fire alarm system may count as a drill, but only if you evaluate the response of the staff, the building, and the fire alarm system. In a normal drill, you would have observers evaluating that the staff responded correctly, that the doors closed, and the strobes and horns operated properly. For an actual alarm (false or otherwise) count as a drill, you need to evaluate all of those items if you want it to count as a drill. As you can imagine, that does not happen very often so most actual alarms are not used as drills because the evaluation of the staff, the building, and the fire alarm system was not conducted.

Brad Keyes, CHSP, is the owner of KEYES Life Safety Compliance, and his expertise is in the management of the Life Safety Program, including the Environment of Care and Emergency Management programs.



August 5, 2020


Topic Area: Regulations, Codes & Standards


Recent Posts

How Backup Power Needs Vary Across Healthcare Settings

Manufacturers discuss how evolving codes, technologies and care settings shape healthcare backup power strategies.


Flexible Design Strategies Help OhioHealth Maximize Clinical Space

Doing more with less was key to the renovated facility’s design.


New Bass Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases Opens

The new space not only offers more exam rooms but also features 15 private infusion bays to allow privacy for all patients and their caregivers during treatment.


Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Daytona Beach Opens

Hospital amenities include all private patient rooms, a spacious therapy gym featuring advanced rehabilitation technologies, an activities of daily living suite and more.


What Healthcare Facilities Can Learn from a $49 Million Window Failure

A major window system failure at the University of Iowa’s Children’s Hospital sparked a costly replacement project – and a $49.4 million arbitration win.


 
 


FREE Newsletter Signup Form

News & Updates | Webcast Alerts
Building Technologies | & More!

 
 
 


All fields are required. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.