Fire Protection Design Manual - Office of Construction and Facilities ...

8) Patient exam/treatment rooms.
September-2011
Note: Though the U. S. Access Board has rendered an opinion that requires strobes in
examination and treatment rooms, the VA modifies this recommendation and does not
require strobes in examination and treatment rooms since patients will only be in these
rooms with permission of the staff. This is in line with the last paragraph of Technical
Bulletin # 2 enclosed (included at end of this document).
http://www.cfm.va.gov/til/dManual/ADAAGBull2VisualAlarms.pdf
2. Staff response (See output 2 of Table 7.3):
Note: These requirements are intended for the defend-in-place requirements of the health
care occupancy where staff need to know what is happening so they can give direction to
those who need it. Patients are considered to be in need of help for evacuation and
evacuation itself will only be undertaken as a last effort.
Fire Alarm System Operation for Health Care Occupancies - Background:
What is required? How does VA meet the requirements? Why do it this way? Other Issues,
General Requirements.
What is required?
The Life Safety Code states, “For health care occupancies, the proper protection of patients
shall require the prompt and effective response of health care personnel.” It goes on to say,
“The basic response required of staff shall include the following:
(1) Removal of all occupants directly involved with the fire emergency
(2) Transmission of an appropriate fire alarm signal to warn other building occupants and
summon staff
(3) Confinement of the effects of the fire by closing doors to isolate the fire area
(4) Relocation of patients as detailed in the health care occupancy’s fire safety plan.”
The fire alarm system in a health care occupancy should immediately notify the staff in the
zone of alarm origin to take action (e.g., “RACE”) and simultaneously summon adequate
staff remote from the zone of alarm origin to respond to assist staff in the zone of alarm
origin.
How does VA meet the requirements?
The VA takes the following approach for implementing the requirements of the code for
health care facilities:
a. Upon operation of a fire alarm initiating device, the fire alarm system will, in the
zone of alarm origin only,
1. Notify staff/occupants by activating a temporal three alarm signal and
2. Activate the visible appliances (strobes).
b. Simultaneously the fire alarm system will send a voice message to the rest of the
building and other buildings as necessary to notify enough staff to respond to the
zone of alarm origin. No visible appliances will be activated outside of the zone of
alarm origin.
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