The main thing that will be on a persons’ mind when attending a healthcare practice is getting the very best care and treatment if they are the patient, or if they are a visitor, ensuring the well-being of the person they have come to see.
It will occur to very few visitors, residents or patients that the establishment also has a responsibility to keep them safe from fire and breaches of security. Yet for you, this is your number one priority.
As the person responsible for fire safety, ensuring their protection against a fire means the performance of your fire alarm systems and evacuation procedures are of paramount importance. In environments where there may be patients and visitors with limited mobility a full building evacuation is something you wish to avoid at all costs.
When considering the best type of fire alarm system for a healthcare building, the most common requirements are; a system that can be effectively monitored and maintained, a need to prevent false alarm activations, the need to provide early detection and warning of a real fire, and a procedure that enables the safe evacuation of all occupants in a controlled manner, only from areas that are at risk.
Effective and well-maintained fire alarm systems and fully trained fire officers are essential elements of ensuring people, buildings and equipment are protected. A well-maintained fire alarm system will ensure compliance with fire safety regulations and also ensure you pass CQC inspections with flying colours. All stakeholders need evidence that these systems and processes are effective and will alert and prevent the spread of fire and protect people, processes and property.
When installing and maintaining a fire alarm system for a healthcare practice one of the key challenges Tecserv encounters is the need to help the responsible individual or the fire officer (or team) prevent false activations, and to have very early indications of the exact location of a fire.
In environments where there may be sick people with limited mobility the need for a reliable fire alarm system has never been more important. The fire alarm must be capable of providing both audible and visible warning signals and the functionality to distinguish the area(s) affected by fire so that only those in danger are evacuated to safety in a controlled manner.
Our healthcare experience spans across a wide range of providers, from NHS hospital trusts, to out-patient centres, doctors surgeries, medical clinics, cosmetic surgeons, dentists, residential care homes, day care centres and other healthcare practitioners such as physiotherapy practices and wellness centres.
We think it is our responsibility to liaise with responsible individuals in healthcare practices to help them install and maintain effective fire systems and processes.
A fire alarm sounding is something that healthcare practitioners do want to hear. Unplanned fire alarm evacuations cause disruption, will seriously affect patient care and delay treatments, costing time and money.
At Tecserv we help to ensure regular planned maintenance and training takes place and that we help all stakeholders with responsibility for fire safety ensure that their systems and processes are compliant, well maintained and support fire safety policies, procedures and legislation.
We are providing you with two free fire safety guides to help your business stay safe and help the responsible individual comply to fire safety legislation.
This guide provides business owners and responsible individuals with a reference
document regarding their legal responsibilities in respect of fire safety in the workplace.
This guide explains what’s involved in a fire risk assessment and the legal requirements your business needs to meet.
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Please note Tecserv only operate within the United Kingdom – any work outside of this region cannot be considered.
