HEALTHCARE FIRE SAFETY


Cause and effect may extend to thousands of items.


n In patient treatment areas the alarm is designed to alert staff, not to wake or alarm patients.


n In patient treatment areas there are usually several staff who are trained in the emergency plan – including what to do on discovering a fire, such as how to raise the alarm.


Previous versions of HTM 05-03 part B relied on the relevant parts of BS5839-1 with regard to fire alarm maintenance. As the BS5839-1 guidance provides general guidance on this, some of the recommendations were inappropriate and ineffective in a complex healthcare environment. For example, in a hospital with thousands of call points and hundreds of alarm zones, it would take many years to cover the whole hospital using the weekly fire alarm test recommended in BS 5839-1. The weekly test may thus serve very little useful purpose. Modern fire alarm systems incorporate a high degree of monitoring, with the individual components of the system monitored continuously so that either (a) faults are automatically identified, or (b), the system can be interrogated to identify components that are outside of normal parameters.


Extensive section on maintenance The revised Part B now includes an extensive section on maintenance, which is specific to complex healthcare premises.


28 Health Estate Journal June 2024


The status of this document as issued by a government department is akin to one issued under Article 50 of the Fire Safety Order. In the hierarchy of documents, this thus takes precedence over a British Standard – in this case BS 5839-1. HTM 05-01, in appendix E, details


protocols which should be developed to underpin the fire safety policy. These should include a protocol of maintenance of fire safety facilities and equipment, including fire alarms. When 05-01 is reviewed this will go into more detail.


Is the weekly fire alarm test necessary? Unless there are critical systems/areas which require such testing, or the maintenance strategy/protocol requires it, the weekly test, as described in BS 5839- 1, may be ineffective in a hospital with several thousand call points and numerous alarm zones. A risk-assessed approach may reduce or eliminate the necessity for weekly testing. Local staff, such as fire wardens, porters, security staff, or estates personnel, are best placed to complete regular checks of aspects of the fire alarm systems, which may include the monthly testing by the user. Where feasible, and in line with the healthcare organisation’s protocols, a visual check should be made of all fire alarm detectors, call points, and sounders, to ensure that:


n They are unobstructed and that call points can be easily seen.


n They are in apparently good condition and undamaged.


n The detectors do not have any stacked storage within 500 mm of the device, and no storage close to the detector is within 300 mm of the ceiling.


n Detectors are not covered, and that smoke is not prevented from entering the detector.


These checks can be incorporated into monthly checks completed by Fire Wardens. In areas where there are no Fire Wardens, it should be ensured that the checks are completed (for example, in areas such as common parts and plantrooms).


Inspection and servicing by competent person In fire alarm systems which continuously monitor detectors and faults, or in which warnings are annunciated, the following clauses in BS 5839-1 may become unnecessary subject to the cause-and-effect testing described in paragraph 7.20: n Section 45.4 a) b) c) d) j) (this includes call points and most fire detectors).


In addition to the guidance in BS 5839-1, the following should be implemented: n The cause-and-effect schedule for the system should be available, and there


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