FIRE SAFETY IN HOSPITALS J.J. Cummins, Development and Health & Safety Manager, Mater Private Hospital

Mater Private Hospital Opened in 1986 City Centre Location Restricted footprint Acute care hospital 200 beds + 8 Operating Theatres, 3 Cath Labs Expanding and updating all the time

Why is Fire Safety critical in hospitals? Patients will have their mobility impaired by illness, disability or treatment. Patients are at their most vulnerable during and after operations. Patients in high dependency and ICU units are critically ill. Some patients may be at end of their lives. Hospital’s are responsible for Patient safety from Fire – not like any other building. Patients are unable to evacuate themselves. For any of the above reasons – Fire would be terrible.

The Risks found in hospitals Oxygen, Nitrous Oxide gases; Flammable chemicals; Unpredictability of patients (candles, smoking); Main kitchens; Laundry machines; Natural gas supplies to Laboratory, Kitchen and Boiler houses, and sometimes to plant rooms.

Some experiences along the way…… Fire in three different hospital kitchens, one most likely caused by arson, 2nd one caused by cooking oil going on fire in a large shallow pan, and 3rd one caused by accumulation of oil in an uncleaned section of a cooker. Fire in a single bedroom caused by a cigarette and accelerated by the presence of oxygen. Fire in an external smoking area where towels caught fire, and destroyed 2 x steel chairs. Fire in a full rubbish bag in a bin in a patients waiting room.

More Experiences…

Training of staff: We require all staff to be trained every year in two categories: (a) Basic Fire Safety and (b) Evacuation. Other training also takes place: (i) Command and Control (ii) Fire warden (iii) Chemical Spill Evacuation Drills: (i) Twice yearly for both non patient and patient areas.

Accreditation and impact on fire safety The Mater Private Hospital has been accredited with JCI International since 2002. It is carried out every 3 years. It made us look at our training, the way we inspect our building, and how we test ourselves for preparedness. Examples are: (i) Every fire wall is inspected and any problems identified are addressed. (ii) Every fire door is inspected and problems rectified. (iii) Greater care is taken with building works to ensure fire compartment compliance. (iv) Fire drawings are updated regularly. (v) Every staff member knows that they can be asked a series of fire safety questions by the auditors – this sharpens staff approach.

Building works – challenges for fire safety: Fire dampers are essential. Builders and sub contractors do not have a good understanding of what is required – even after many years of installing these devices. Our approach is to have frequent independent inspections. Fire sealing – this continues to cause problems for us.

The importance of Fire Safety Audits during building construction works Building works bring fire safety risks to the hospital. Separation of building works from clinical areas is critical. Training of contractors staff in the importance of Fire Safety is also critically important. Issues identified during building works Fire Audits include: (i) Fire sealing not installed correctly; (ii) No SDS for hazardous materials; (iii) Improper storage of hazardous materials including Oxygen and Acetylene gas; (iv) Use of low flash point of glue and need to weld floors; (v) Exit routes blocked; (vi) Fire alarm problems.

Challenges ahead: Pressure to reduce training requirements. Getting medical consultants to attend fire training. Constant pressure on resources. Poor understanding of responsibilities regarding fire safety. Increasing complexity in buildings and difficulty with integrating new and old systems can complicate the fire strategy.

Thank you jjcummins@materprivate.ie