Fire protection systems are an important part of life safety compliance. Part of CMS compliance includes the NFPA’s life safety code. This code includes both active and passive fire protection systems. However, you may be wondering what the difference is. Both active and passive systems are both valuable to fire safety for you, your team, and your patients.
Active Fire Protection for Life Safety Compliance
When we think of fire protection systems, most of the time we are thinking of active systems. Your healthcare facility must have and maintain these systems for life safety compliance. They identify, contain, restrain, or extinguish fires. For example, fire detectors and sprinklers are part of your active fire protection system. They can help alert your facility of a fire so you can evacuate and also help efforts to quench the flames.
Passive Fire Protection for Healthcare Regulatory Compliance
Passive fire protection systems serve to control the spread of fire and smoke. This gives more time for your active systems to initiate and more time for your facility to evacuate. These life safety compliance codes determine how your healthcare facility was built, which type of interior finish was used, and how far people have to travel to escape the building. Unlike active systems, passive systems are always in place and don’t require an active fire to turn on.
Passive and Active Systems Work Together
Both active and passive healthcare facility fire protection systems work together to help protect your building, its employees, and its patients. Ensuring that these systems are in place can give you peace of mind about the safety of your facility, as well as about your compliance with regulatory codes. If you need help determining what is necessary for the NFPA’s life safety code or other parts of life safety compliance, an evaluation from an outside party can help.
Healthcare Life Safety Services offers specialized facility inspections and audit services. We help you find the best, most practical solutions for your healthcare organization and check your healthcare regulatory compliance. Our team has the knowledge and experience necessary to help you achieve accreditation with various organizations in our area. Call us today at (281) 598-1359 to discuss your needs with our team of experts and schedule a consultation. We look forward to the opportunity to work with you.