Safety

Tip of the week: Consider peak capacity of electric-driven fire pumps

Hospital Safety Connection, March 3, 2010

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If your hospital doesn’t already test electric-driven fires pumps at peak capacity under emergency power, it might be worth reconsidering that stance.
 
Environment of care standard EC.02.03.05 requires annual flow tests of fire pumps. Joint Commission surveyors don’t always request that electric-driven pumps be tested at peak capacity under emergency power, said Brad Keyes, CHSP, life safety consultant at The Greeley Company in Marblehead, MA.
 
However, other authorities may want to see such a test at peak capacity, Keyes added.
 
Peak capacity is made at 150% of the pump’s nameplate rating. For example, if a pump’s nameplate is for 1,000 gal. per minute, under emergency power the peak capacity would be 1,500 gal. per minute, he said.
 
Keyes spoke during our February audio conference, “Physical environment compliance 2010: Analyzing The Joint Commission’s latest interpretations and survey hotspots.” You can still order a CD recording or on-demand audio file of the program.



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