ARE HOSPITALS FIRE SAFE ?

Hospitals are not just a place where we go and get treated from the doctors doesn’t depend that how big or small the health problem is. Also, we admit our loved ones in hospital in hope for better care and medication but very much did we know that nowadays, hospitals now have become a fire-prone place, we keep on hearing news of the fire in hospitals and recent ones are:

1. Fire breaks out at AIIMS hospital in Delhi, 24 fire tenders rush to the spot: At least 20 fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The entire wing was evacuated. The fire broke out due to an electrical short-circuit in one of the operation theatres on the ground floor of the hospital.
2. A fire broke out in Metro Hospitals and Heart Institute in Noida: Scores of patients were evacuated from the building. The fire broke out around 10 am on Thursday on the third floor of the hospital at Noida’s Sector 12.
3. Delhi: 84 patients evacuated after the fire broke out in Preet Vihar hospital: Major fire broke out at the Metro Hospital and Cancer Institute in Delhi's Preet Vihar area. The fire broke out on the 2nd floor of the hospital and spread to other floors. All 84 patients admitted to the hospital were evacuated and shifted to another branch of the hospital.

Patients who are dependent on the hospital staff to take care of them even under normal circumstances let alone an emergency situation like a fire. This makes it extremely imperative for premises like a hospital to ensure safety in their premises at all times.

Fire an incident in the Metro Hospital Noida brings to light the need for fire safety in sensitive places like hospitals. The fire started with a short circuit in the water heater in the High Dependency Unit of the hospital. A fire incident in such a space which is extremely hazardous and puts a serious risk on the lives of the patients… HDU is a post-operative room where patients are kept after surgery.

We must avoid such a drastic situation, and the hospital must invest in early detection technologies to catch a slight incidence of fire and have automatic suppression systems that auto extinguish the fire before it becomes too large to handle. Hospitals being densely populated premises, they must invest in green fire fighting technologies that are harmless to the patients. Like APFE and Ceiling Mounted Fire Extinguisher by Fire1On1

It entails employing practices that help in the prevention of fire in the first place, & adopting early detection technologies that can catch early signs of fire anywhere. In a hospital scenario, where the inhabitants are highly dependable patients, it is crucial to employ technologies that are not only efficient in fire fighting but also safe to be administered in human presence, no effect on patient health and last but not the least, easy and speedy evacuation so as to minimize post-fire damage to life & property.

Quick points on how to make hospitals fire-safe and save lives:

• Codes should be adhered in building both externally and internally.
• No activities in the basement except for parking activities with sprinkler system in place.
• The hospital must invest in sprinklers & hydrant systems in addition to local placement of the extinguishers of APFE (Automatic Portable Fire Extinguisher) near the electrical equipment and Ceiling Mounted Fire Extinguisher in unreachable areas.
• Regular check-up of all fire fighting equipment and the hospital staff should be trained in using them.
• Monthly check of electric sockets, equipment & wiring should be checked from time to time.
• Adherent to good housekeeping to avoid flashing over of fire.
• Availability of ramps in each ward so that patients on beds can be evacuated on time.

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Created on Jul 18th 2019 08:13. Viewed 279 times.

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