By Dean Samet, CHSP
In a July 2010 Environment of Care News article entitled, Ensuring Effective Fire Alarm and Automatic Sprinkler Systems, The Joint Commission says that there has been some confusion among health care organizations regarding the requirements for the master fire alarm panel location.
Standard LS.02.01.34, EP 2 states: The master fire alarm control panel is located in a protected environment (an area enclosed with 1-hour fire-rated walls and ¾-hour fire-rated doors) that is continuouly occupied or in an area with a smoke detector. (See also LS.02.01.10, EP 5.) (For full text and any exceptions, refer to NFPA 101-2000:9.6.4; and NFPA 72-1999: 1-5.6 and 3-8.41.) Standard LS.02.01.34, EP 3 states: The remote ancillary annunciator panel is in a location approved by the local fire department or its equivalent. (For full text and any exceptions, refer to NFPA 101-2000:9.6.4.)
Per the above TJC standard EP, an organization appears to have two choices for the location of the master fire alarm control panel:
1. A protected area (one-hour construction w/ 45-minute fire-rated door assemblies) that is continuously occupied; or,
2. An area with a smoke detector. The article goes on to explain that EP 2 shown above “does not require an organization to build a protected area if they don’t already have one… They may simply hoose to install a smoke detector near the alarm panel to satisfy this EP’s requirements.” The master fire alarm panel is often located in the hospital’s switchboard area or some other continuously staffed location.
Organizations must also have a secondary panel (remote ancillary annunciator) that is protected to ensure that the fire alarm monitoring system will still function even if there is a fire in the area of the master fire alarm panel. According to this article, organizations should locate their secondary panel in another continuously staffed location, such as a nursing station or perhaps a maintenance shop. TJC goes on to say that the location of either panel, especially if the panels are to be moved or relocated for whatever reason, should be verified for appropriateness with the local fire department or authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs).
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