Planning fire drills in healthcare facilities

Staff, visitors, volunteers and others may ignore the fire alarm and continue to go on with their day


How do you plan fire drills in healthcare facilities, when some staff, visitors, volunteers and others may ignore the fire alarm and continue to go on with their day? Hospitals get to decide for themselves how their staff should react during a fire alarm, as stipulated in their fire response plan, according to an article on the FacilityCare website.

The Joint Commission standard says staff who work in buildings where patients are housed or treated participate in drills according to the hospital’s fire response plan. 

Section 18/19.7.1.3 of the 2000 Life Safety Code (18/19.7.1.2 of the 2012 Life Safety Code) says employees of healthcare occupancies shall be instructed in life safety procedures and devices. 

Neither the Joint Commission standard (and EP) and the LSC reference actually requires all staff to participate in every fire drill.

Read the article.

 

 



June 5, 2015


Topic Area: Safety


Recent Posts

Case Study: How NYU Langone Rebuilt for Resilience After Superstorm Sandy

Although the damage was severe, it provided a valuable opportunity for NYU Langone to assess structural vulnerabilities and increase facility resilience.


Frederick Health Hospital Faces 5 Lawsuits Following Ransomware Attack

The lawsuits accuse FHH of inadequate cybersecurity, poor breach notification and failing to protect patients from identity theft risks.


Arkansas Methodist Medical Center and Baptist Memorial Health Care to Merge

They have signed a non-binding letter of intent to complete a shared mission agreement to merge the two organizations.


Ground Broken on Intermountain Saratoga Springs Multi-Specialty Clinic

The clinic is scheduled to open and start seeing patients in the fall of 2026.


Electrical Fire Tests Resilience of Massachusetts Hospital

Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital used opportunity to renovate key systems and components and expand facility operations.


 
 


FREE Newsletter Signup Form

News & Updates | Webcast Alerts
Building Technologies | & More!

 
 
 


All fields are required. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.