What is the fire protection standard for CT-Scan, PET/CT, tomotherapy, etc. rooms?
NFPA 13 notes only that occupancies shall have automatic fire sprinkler system or an approved alternative. I have seen double standards in installed systems in one hospital project I worked in wherein the hospital AHJ proposed wet sprinkler system on one occasion while clean agent fire suppression system was used on another. My concern is that an unconscious patient left inside the gantry by staff in panic can die if the clean agent fire suppression system discharges in the treatment room. Whereas, on another hand, millions worth CT, PET/CT, tomotherapy machines can be seriously damaged beyond repair if the wet sprinkler system works to put out fire inside the room. It sometimes seems like a choice between protecting patients which is the core business of healthcare facilities or protecting costly property from damage. Is there an absolute standard to put a period to my query? Thanks. Posted anonymously for discussion. Discuss This | Submit Your Question | Subscribe
5 Comments
adam Hicks
7/19/2019 10:41:14 am
F
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Jorge Diaz
7/19/2019 10:50:49 am
Although you are right in all your assumptions, my experience in hospitals gave me more insight.
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pjd
7/19/2019 11:05:18 am
In Tennessee, any facility that bills to medicare or tenncare falls under the jurisdiction of the State Health Department. They assign a State Fire Marshal to these jobs.This includes hospitals, remote offices, dialysis clinics, etc. Check with the AHJ. They are likely to be on the I-codes. In that case, a clean agent system does not eliminate the requirement for water-based fire protection if the building is being considered "fully-sprinklered" per IFC NFPA 13. They may have their own adoption. The workaround if the client desires an added degree of protection for the equipment is a double-interlock preaction in conjunction with the clean agent system.
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Rusty Scott
7/19/2019 12:46:08 pm
These methods are what I have been taught, sorry I don't have any code direction or standard to look at in advance. But this is what I've seen used. Also large hospitals have standards of design they expect to see so you may can research other hospitals published standards.
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Nimal Tissa Wijetunga
7/23/2019 09:19:18 pm
Consider property protection and Business Resilience without trade offs between Active and Passive Fire Protection, which gives much better life safety than codes and standards envisage and obviously the property protection.
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