Fire detection challenges in secure environments

As Mike Sutton, UK Regional sales manager, South-West, at fire detection specialist, Apollo Fire Detectors, explains, the nature of the setting, and the risks posed by some service-users – both to themselves and other users, necessitate special care to ensure a safe and secure environment for patients and staff. He explains how Apollo’s new Soteria Dimension Specialist Optical Detector is specifically designed for such environments

According to the Health Building Note 03-01 – Adult acute mental health units: planning and design, all furniture and fittings in such units are ‘required to be robust, anti-ligature, to prevent opportunities for concealment, and meet infection control requirements, while being as domestic in style as possible, and not offering opportunities for easy lifting or breakage’. The HBN goes on to add: ‘This is particularly important in rooms where service-users are unsupervised, such as the bedrooms and en-suites.

’ Alongside the more ‘standard’ challenges that face a fire alarm system, when designing and/or installing such a system for a healthcare setting, but especially for a mental healthcare facility, unique issues relating to the complexity of the environment become apparent. These include: