Detection challenges in mental health facilities

Also sharing his views on designing fire alarm systems for mental healthcare facilities is Alex Southall, Proposals manager (Fire Alarm and Custodial Solutions) at Static Systems Group, a long-term customer of Apollo which itself specialises in the design and systems engineering of fire alarm systems for healthcare environments.

The fire detection market continues to evolve, offering specifiers and installers an increasingly sophisticated array of technology to choose from. Keeping up to date with new technology is only one part of providing first-class fire detection; one of the biggest challenges to anyone working in the industry is deciding which technology is most appropriate within a building’s design. The overall objective will always be to save lives and protect property, and so to ensure the most reliable protection, the type of fire detector must be considered in relation to the environment in which it will be used. There are certain more complex scenarios that, understandably, present specific challenges when it comes to fire detection, and this is certainly the case when it comes to designing fire detection systems for mental health, or healthcare facilities for particularly vulnerable patients. 

I’d like to consider three specific challenges, and the factors that must be considered when designing a fire detection system to meet these. The first is where detectors are at a high risk of being tampered with by patients, the second where patients are at risk of self-harm or suicide, and the third where residents are considered vulnerable due to learning difficulties or certain illnesses, such as dementia.