A systematic approach for fire safety audits in health-care facilities

Fire poses a significant threat for any health-care facility. Patients expect to receive their treatment in a safe environment. Patients who have special needs or are incapacitated form a vulnerable group in a fire emergency. Health-care staff and facility managers must ensure that appropriate levels of safety requirements are provided and properly maintained. They must do so with knowledge of the occupancy profiles of their facilities and develop fire safety plans accordingly. Health-care facilities need to be designed and operated in such a manner to reduce the chance of fire occurring, or, if the worst does occur, to keep looses to a minimum. The objectives of this paper are to review the current legislation and guidelines on fire safety in health-care facilities, and to present the findings of a case study to assess the provision of these requirements in the Medical Center of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. The paper provides a systematic approach to fire safety evaluation of existing health-care facilities. It is of practical value to facility managers responsible for day-to-day operations of such facilities.