It is imperative that the master fire alarm control panel be adequately protected to ensure the integrity of the fire alarm system. The 2009 Hospital Accreditation Standards of The Joint Commission mandate in LS.02.01.34 Element of Performance 2, “The master fire alarm panel is located in a protected environment (an area enclosed with 1-hour fire-rated walls and ¾-hour fire-rated doors) that is continuously occupied or in an area with a smoke detector.” Health care occupancies unlike other occupancies practice a defend-in-place concept whereas other occupants of other occupancy classifications evacuate upon activation of the fire alarm system. Since health care occupants remain in the building, persons assigned to monitor the master fire alarm panel (where applicable) must remain at the panel to acknowledge all alarms received. Therefore, the area must be enclosed with one-hour fire-rated walls and ¾-hour fire-rated doors. Where off-site monitoring is provided for the organization and no staff is assigned alarm monitoring duties, the master fire alarm control panel must be protected by a smoke detector and the additional fire-rated walls and doors are not required.
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