Firecode Fire Safety In The Nhs

This document sets out fire safety recommendations, advice and guidance for the purchase, use and donation of textiles, furniture and furnishings in hospitals and other healthcare premises in England. The guidance is also suitable for the independent health sector. It replaces HTM 87 'Firecode: textiles and furniture' (1999, ISBN 9780113221394). The guidance has been revised in accordance with the requirements of EC legislation and European technical specifications, in particular in relation to the Medical Devices Directive (93/42/EEC) and the General Product Safety Directive (2001/95/EC). It also recognises present Government policy in supporting areas such as: the Keymark (the CEN mark of conformity); the use of eco-labels in textile and end--use applications; and the use of the CE Mark.

This guidance replace HTM 83 (1994, ISBN 9780113217250) and provides general fire safety advice that applies throughout healthcare premises and to areas not specifically addressed through other documents in the Firecode suite.

This Health Technical Memorandum takes the form of best practice guidance and recommendations. It provides guidance on the design of fire precautions in new healthcare buildings and major extensions to existing healthcare buildings. It supersedes HTM 81 (ISBN 9780113210824), and HTM 85 (ISBN 9780113217335). This publication provides guidance to achieve a satisfactory standard of fire safety, and recognizes the special requirements of fire precautions in the design of healthcare premises and should allow the current statutory regulations to be applied sensibly within a framework of understanding. The guidance in this HTM satisfies all requirements of Part B - Fire Safety of the Building Regulations 2000 (as amended).

This publication examines the fire incident data reported to the Department of Health during the period 1994/95 to 2004/05. In this period: 10,662 fire incidents were reported; the cost of the fires amounted to £14.6 million; there have been 17 fatalities and 651 injuries. The overall conclusion is that the prevalence of fire over the past ten years in the NHS in England has remained relatively constant.

This document sets out recommendations and guidance for the management and reduction of false alarm fire signals generated by automatic fire detection and alarm systems within healthcare premises. Unwanted fire signals impact upon the treatment and care of patients and can result in the loss of appointments, disruption to care and treatment regimes, and can significantly affect staff morale.

This publication provides guidance on the additional fire precautions which may become necessary when commercial enterprises are about to be, or have been, established on hospital premises.

This Firecode document provides guidance on the design and installation of a new fire detection and alarm systems in NHS healthcare premises. It is intended to supplement BS 5839-I (ISBN 9780580403767) by providing recommendations specific to NHS healthcare premises. This document should also be read in conjunction with Health Technical Memorandum 05-03 Part H - Reducing unwanted fire signals in healthcare premises (ISBN 9780113227648). The document covers a wide range of alarm and detection technology, from conventional systems to multi-sensor detectors in addressable systems. This document also replaces HTM 82 (ISBN 9780113220458)