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ESTATES & FACILITIES
Total fire protection for hospital kitchens
Steve Titterington of Fireworks Fire Protection Ltd explains the importance of fire protection system.
service staff safe – including from the effects of fire. Any fire occurring in any establishment is an inconvenience, but when it happens in a hospital, the knock-on effect can be very disruptive.
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Apart from the risk to life, a fire disrupts treatment and causes damage to property. While most fires do not spread beyond the ward or room in which it starts, the financial and organisational consequences from fire damage can be considerable, often costing tens of thousands of pounds – particularly if specialist equipment is installed.
With limited budgets, organisations cannot afford the unnecessary costs of a fire, and the emphasis falls on the chief executive and senior managers to have awareness of the products on the market that can help reduce and eradicate this risk.
The main kitchen can be the heart of the hospital and it is essential to make sure that it continues to deliver a non-stop service. Consequently, consideration of its design and operational policies with regards to fire safety is an essential consideration at both new and existing locations, when undertaking refurbishment or considering major alterations.
Certain pieces of equipment, particularly deep fat fryers, are a high risk and need to have the right level of protection. Ducting in the overhead canopies is also a risk and needs to be protected.
The Hydramist 15AMPU from Fireworks Fire Protection Ltd uses tried-and-tested technology approved by the LPCB and to LPS1223 accreditation. It is being specified
46 | national health executive Sep/Oct 14
he primary remit of healthcare providers is to keep patients, visitors and health
in a large number of commercial kitchens. It is safe for people and the environment and dramatically reduces the spread of smoke from a fire.
A short history
Deep fat fryer fire protection systems have traditionally employed either dry powder or wet chemical as a fire suppression medium. Following their use to fight fires, these systems leave large residues of fire suppression agent on the fryer and any adjacent equipment. Both dry powder and wet chemical have minimal cooling properties, resulting in prolonged closure of the kitchen while the oil is allowed to cool ‘naturally’ under the chemical layer.
The Hydramist 15AMPU kitchen fire suppression system has achieved approval by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) to LPS1223 standard. In real life use and in testing it has been observed that the cooling action of the Hydramist system, combined with an ability to prevent the spread of smoke, enables the kitchen to return quickly to an operational condition even after a fire. There is a significantly reduced risk to people and the environment and, as only water is used, the clean-up time required is minimal. A kitchen can be up and operational again within minutes of a Hydramist system operation.
Suppression and control
The system uses only small amounts of water at high pressure, with water droplets within a range of 60-100 microns, to quickly and effectively suppress and control any fire that takes place. Using a wall-mounted Hydramist pump, which does not require any water storage tank, also eliminates storage space issues for the fire suppression equipment.
Back to business in minutes
The Hydramist 15AMPU system effectively extinguishes the fire in less than 10 seconds and prevents re-ignition by cooling the oil and hot surfaces. After extinguishing the fire, the fine mist continues to cool hot surfaces to below ignition temperature in less than 30 seconds, preventing re-ignition of the fire.
A further advantage is that it helps to stop smoke spreading throughout the kitchen and into other areas, as the smoke particles from the fire are captured by the Hydramist droplets and the smoke is washed out with the fire.
The system is easy to install and retrofit into an existing location and simple to maintain.
Prevention is better than cure
The Hydramist 15AMPU is currently being installed in a number of prison kitchens around the UK. These establishments have the same considerations as hospitals, as they have a duty of care to provide an effective level of service and cannot afford the cost of any additional disruption.
When a flash-over did occur, the clean-up operation was carried out by kitchen staff, and they were able to bring the kitchen back into operation in less than 30 minutes. There was no smoke damage and the kitchen was not affected in any way. The fire was isolated to this area and no other parts of the site were affected. The kitchen was able to continue operating at full capacity with no disruption to the service.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
T: 01953 458420 W:
www.15ampu.com
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