4/21/22, 11:20 AM A guide to fire safety in hospitals - Citizen Matters, Bengaluru

A guide to fire safety in hospitals

PREVENTING HOSPITAL FIRES

Healthcare facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes normally see a continuous flow of people.
Almost all of them operate on a 24×7 basis. Hospitals are not only required to take care of patients
but must ensure that their safety is prioritised. Fire accidents at healthcare facilities should not
force anyone to run for their life.

Ever since COVID-19 made an appearance, medical facilities have been stretched beyond their
capacity. Right in the middle of the pandemic, when work load of hospitals has been on an all-time
high, there have been several instances of hospital fires resulting in tragedies, across India. The
Ministry of Home Affairs issued an advisory to all States, directing them to ensure that hospitals
and nursing homes comply with fire safety protocols.

Read more: In schools, hospitals or shrines, you can’t escape fire risk in urban India

Focus on fire safety becomes very important as hospitals are an amalgamation of a wide range of
services. They have core functions such as diagnostic and treatment functions, clinical laboratories,
imaging, emergency rooms and surgery. Besides this, they have hospitality functions such as food

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service and housekeeping. Its infrastructure houses many heat-dissipating equipment, combustible
gases and fuels, chemicals, electrical wiring and the like.

Basic principles of fire safety

There are three basic principles that all hospital could adopt to prevent fire accidents. And in an
eventuality, these basic principles can prevent damage to lives and property. They are: prevention,
protection, preparation

Prevention: Following electrical, housekeeping hygiene

Ensure that electrical points are not overloaded. Make sure that a 15 amp plug is not inserted
into a 5 amp switch.
Check all electrical cords for frays or tears.
Keep passageways clear of any obstructions.
Keep generator rooms, elevator shafts, electrical/ducts/panels, etc., clear of any combustibles;
PPE kits, cartons, plastic waste.
Maintain at least 2-3 metres distance between electrical equipment and combustible material.

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Overloaded Extension Cord. Pic courtesy: Beyond Carlton

Read more: Check your home’s fire safety, take part in the ‘iamfiresafe’ campaign

Protection: Creating infrastructure for emergencies

Overhead sprinklers: Sprinklers are by themselves like a small fire fighter which helps curtail
the spread of fire.
If sprinklers are unavailable, a simple hose pipe which is connected to a water source can also
help. In most buildings they have hose reels for such purposes.
Fire Extinguishers
The right kind of extinguishers should be installed in the appropriate area, ICU,
passageway, kitchens, electrical rooms, etc.
Ensuring that sufficient number of extinguishers are kept at regular intervals – every 15
metres. 
Extinguishers should be installed at chest level, for easy access. 

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Instructions have to be posted along with the extinguishers so that in an emergency

anyone can deploy it.
Public Address (PA) System: provides hospital operators with a way to disseminate
instructions.
Signages: Ensuring that luminescent signages are placed at floor level also. In the eventuality
of a fire, smoke rises above ground. For people crawling under the smoke at ground level,
these signages are visible. 
Kitchen and Laundry 
Avoid grease fires by emptying appliances’ grease traps on a regular basis.
Store flammable liquids, oils or other items far away from cooking equipment.
Keep portable fire extinguishers (including dry chemical extinguishers) close by and
ensure that the staff knows how to operate them.
Chemicals  
Pay special attention to areas where flammable chemicals are stored. These areas
should not be accessible to the general public. 
Ensure that no fire/smoke comes in contact with this area such as cigarette, agarbatti,
candle, etc 
Fire lift is meant for fire personnel only, not for public, during an evacuation. Fire lifts are
designed to withstand heat for an hour or so, to help fire personnel reach higher floors for
containment and rescue. Public should always use the staircase in case of fire and not any lift.

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Pic Courtesy : Vaishnavi Vittal

Preparation: Establishing a routine

Training: Conduct regular training exercise for staff on how to identify the sources and types
of fire, how to use fire fighting equipment, mock drills and evacuation strategy. 
Check all electrical cords for frays or tears. At Least two people should be assigned to check all
the electrical equipment/room/shafts etc. 
On a daily basis  such as hose, hydrants, extinguishers, etc., to ensure that they are in working
condition. Only the Sprinkler system cannot be checked on a daily basis, hence it is kept in
automatic mode. Make sure the functioning of the fire protection system is working in
automatic mode.
Inspect all electrical points every couple of hours to see that they are not overloaded. Switch
off any device not in use.
Communication: Ensure that the PA system is functioning properly, utilize it to manage
crowds/instruct people regularly so that people learn to pay attention and follow instructions
given.
Fire and smoke alarms, etc have to be in working condition at all times. So, all the staff can be
alerted at once if there is a fire. Fire suppression systems are some of the best ways to keep
small fires from turning into large emergencies, keeping them serviced and working order.

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Ensure that sprinklers, hose systems, hydrants are connected to a functional water source
and the sprinklers are kept on an Automatic Mode.

Pic Courtesy: Discount Fire Supplies

When a hospital is overloaded, some of the routine inspections take a back seat. With the demand
for more beds with oxygen is increasing and the government is focusing on opening Covid Care
Centres and re-opening defunct Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Primary Health Care centres, etc., focus
towards fire safety becomes paramount.

“Whilst an exhaustive checklist and audit according to the National Building Code is a must do, if
hospitals just follow these simple things along with their day to day activities, it can help avert disasters.
Fire safety is common sense at the end of the day. 

Sumit Khanna, Beyond Carlton

Also Read:

“Fire Safety awareness must start with the young”

The dos and don’ts during a fire accident in Bengaluru
Surat fire a shrill alarm, but has the city really woken up?
‘Flouting of norms by builders poses fire hazards for buildings’

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