Constant construction, renovation and maintenance projects in hospitals can lead to compromises in firewall barriers, according to an article on the FacilityCare website.

The team at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) in Boston set out to avoid disruption as it planned to expand its campus. BWH developed of a program that would address root causes of firewall breaches and permit proactive identification and resolution of fire and life safety deficiencies during construction. 

The program included a “continuous compliance” program to ensure proper procedures are followed during renovation as well as maintenance activities throughout the life of the building, the article said.

For BWH, the root cause analysis identified major issues, including:

• Inadequate coordination between various trades

• Lack of a method for identifying repairs that may create unacceptable penetrations

• Ambiguity among various parties as to what constitutes an “acceptable smoke and fire barrier system” 

Read the article.