Focus: Fire-Life Safety / Column

Regulations, Codes & Standards Q&A: Evacuation during a fire

Brad Keyes discusses regulations for evacuation during a fire

By Brad Keyes / Special to Healthcare Facilities Today


Q: We are a hospital and if there was a fire, say at the northeast part of the building does everyone throughout the whole building have to evacuate the building or only the ones on that side of the building? Same thing with fire drills; does everyone have to evacuate?

A: No… Everyone does not have to evacuate. You never want to evacuate the building unless it is absolutely necessary. Evacuation should always be horizontal and local. This means if 4 west has a fire, then the occupants on 4 west evacuate to 4 east, (or 4 north, or 4 south). You do not take patients down the stairs unless it is absolutely necessary. If you do have to evacuate vertically, you use an elevator that is not actively involved with the fire to evacuate the patients.

Forget all those signs that say “In Case of Fire – Use Stairs”. That does not apply to evacuating patients. The Life Safety Code actually says it is permissible and recommended that you use elevators in the evacuation of patients, as long as the elevator is not actively involved in the fire.

For fire drills, you use simulated patients (put a staff member in a wheelchair and observe the other staff members push the wheelchair to an adjoining smoke compartment). You must observe that they did evacuate a simulated patient to the adjoining (horizontal) smoke compartment. That is why it is important to identify which set of cross-corridor doors are smoke barriers.

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.

 

 



February 14, 2018


Topic Area: Regulations, Codes & Standards


Recent Posts

Design Plays a Role in the Future of Healthcare

With no healthcare facilities popping up, designers need to create spaces that will stand the test of time.


Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center GW Health Officially Opens

It is the first freestanding, full-service hospital to be constructed in Washington, D.C., in over 25 years.


Designing Healthcare Facilities for Pediatric and Geriatric Populations

Understanding the nuanced needs of both age groups is essential to creating supportive multi-generational environments.


Kaiser Permanente Announces New Hospital Tower at Sunnyside Medical Center

It plans to open this new facility on the campus in 2029.


Building Disaster Resilience Through Collaboration

The ability to respond quickly and recover effectively depends on the strength of an organization’s external bonds.


 
 


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.