HCPro.com: Healthcare Life Safety Compliance

April 2008 (Volume 10, Issue 4)	view entire issue

Insurance reps detail the fire safety risks they watch for in your facility
Recommendations from insurance companies can carry as much weight as mandates from entities such as The Joint Commission or local fire departments. In some ways, insurance companies act as authorities having jurisdiction, says Mike Widdekind, a property healthcare practice leader at Zurich North American, a carrier in Schaumburg, IL. For example, insurance representatives often look over architectural blueprints and shop drawings for fire protection systems, much like local building inspectors would.

London hospital's fire response offers lessons for America
In the absence of sprinkler protection, healthcare worker training and firefighter efforts proved to be key points in saving lives during a large hospital fire in London. Healthcare Life Safety Compliance doesn't often touch upon international fires because of various differences among international and U.S. life safety regulations for healthcare occupancies. However, the blaze at The Royal Marsden hospital showcased several best practices we wanted to relay to readers. The Royal Marsden is a leading cancer hospital in Europe. At about 1:30 p.m. on January 2, a fire broke out in a mechanical plant room on an upper floor and spread to the roof.

Questions & Answers
Each month, Jennifer Frecker and James Lathrop of fire protection consulting firm Koffel Associates, Inc., in Elkridge, MD, answer your questions about life safety compliance. Our editorial advisory board also reviews the Q&A column.

Other recently-published articles from Healthcare Life Safety Compliance:

Life safety citations play a big role in lingering struggle

Regarding smoke barriers, correct locations and opening protection become prime concerns

Questions & answers

Watch for door gap scrutiny, multiple concerns in 2009

Weigh your risks when protecting electronic records

HLSC Q&A

Know where your facility needs fire barriers and what ratings the barriers need to meet the LSC

A primer on criticality and other 2009 scoring nuances

Space heater use to be more restrictive as of January 1

Beware of fire door trouble

Consider forming a life safety committee soon

State rebukes hospital about burned surgical patient

Retrofitting sprinklers will cost nursing homes $846 million

NFPA 82 sets the rules for sprinklers and ratings related to your facility’s limited access chutes

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