Fire Alarm Annunicator

[mh06670]

Alright guys, I have another question. Are there any requirements for a fire alarm annunciator to be located in the nurse station of a hospital? Currently the only FAA is at the ED main entrance. I’m working on a free-standing emergency department. Although it’s probably best practice, I don’t see any requirements in NFPA 72,99,101 or FGI guidelines for a FAA to be installed in the nurse station.


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[steve66]

There might be a requirement to annunciate at a constantly attended location if you do a private mode or delayed mode alarm (where the horns and strobes don't go off as soon as a detector is activated.)

But otherwise, I don't think there is any requirement to put one at a nurses station. I never have.

 

[gadfly56]

What steve66 said. If the customer wants an additional FAA elsewhere there's no prohibition on such an install.

 

[LIM]

CMS Surveyors will usually require an Annunciation at a constantly attended location based on their interpretation of:

[FONT=&quot]NFPA 101: 9.6.6 Location of Controls, Operator controls, alarm indicators, and manual communications capability shall be installed at a convenient location acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction.[/FONT]

 

[gadfly56]

CMS Surveyors will usually require an Annunciation at a constantly attended location based on their interpretation of:

[FONT=&quot]NFPA 101: 9.6.6 Location of Controls, Operator controls, alarm indicators, and manual communications capability shall be installed at a convenient location acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction.[/FONT]

Correct as far as it goes. However, most jurisdictions don't follow NFPA 101. In addition, NFPA 72 specifically notes that annunciation will be in a location acceptable to the AHJ. In this case, the AHJ will most often defer to the local fire forces.

 

[hbendillo]

I haven't run into this condition in a while but if for some reason you are required to install smoke detectors within patient rooms, you may be required to have both a corridor light outside each room activated by the respective smoke detector and an annunciator at the nurses station for the smoke detectors. If the nurses station for the hospital turns out to be the only 24 manned station in the hospital you may need full annunciation there. Not likely to find that though.

I have found the above described scenario more likely in nursing homes or assisted living facilities.

 

[gadfly56]

I haven't run into this condition in a while but if for some reason you are required to install smoke detectors within patient rooms, you may be required to have both a corridor light outside each room activated by the respective smoke detector and an annunciator at the nurses station for the smoke detectors. If the nurses station for the hospital turns out to be the only 24 manned station in the hospital you may need full annunciation there. Not likely to find that though.

I have found the above described scenario more likely in nursing homes or assisted living facilities.

In NJ the Joint Commission rules the roost for health care facilities. I have run into a couple of instances where they required something above the usual code. For these facilities, they are the AHJ.

 

[mh06670]

I haven't run into this condition in a while but if for some reason you are required to install smoke detectors within patient rooms, you may be required to have both a corridor light outside each room activated by the respective smoke detector and an annunciator at the nurses station for the smoke detectors. If the nurses station for the hospital turns out to be the only 24 manned station in the hospital you may need full annunciation there. Not likely to find that though.

I have found the above described scenario more likely in nursing homes or assisted living facilities.

Right. It seems like you would have to have a healthcare building operating in public mode rather than private mode.


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