NFPA Journal - January/February 2013 - (Page 49)

at their discretion. When the codes and standards are followed, it is expected that an adequate level of life safety and reliability will be provided. Guidance is available from different groups on going “above and beyond” the minimal requirements, such as The Joint Commission’s Sentinel Event Alert, Issue 37, which specifically offers guidance for health care facilities to reduce the risk of emergency power failure. (For more information, visit jointcommission.org and enter “37” in the search box.) When failures do occur, requirements in NFPA 99 for emergency management can help reduce the impact (see “Prepping for the Worst,” page 52). Ensuring the reliability of the electrical system is the preferred approach, but proper planning, training, and execution of an emergency operations plan can also make a difficult situation easier to manage. Emergency management includes identifying hazards, developing strategies to mitigate the effects of these hazards, and creating plans for preparing for, responding to, and recovering from the emergency. The power failures that unfolded in the wake of Hurricane Sandy are being analyzed for lessons we can use to help manage future natural disasters. They remind us how vital the essential electrical systems and their integrity are to health care facilities. While the failures raise critical questions about the requirements of current codes and standards, it is also worth noting that many health care facilities did not require evacuation and that their emergency power operated properly for the duration of the power outage, allowing them to withstand the influx of patients from those health care facilities that did require evacuation. Jonathan hart is an associate fire protection engineer at NFPA and staff liaison for NFPA 99. is tornado country,” Farnen says, “so you need to build to prepare for that.” Farnen spoke with NFPA Journal about some of the key lessons learned from the Joplin tornado and how they are being incorporated into the design, construction, and emergency planning of the new Mercy Hospital Joplin. Lesson Learned: Upgrade Windows The thing that jumped out at you when you looked at the facility was the windows. Almost all of them were broken, and I remember seeing a lot of curtains blowing out of those open windows as we approached the hospital the next day. During the tornado, losing all those windows meant the interior of the building was immediately open to wind and debris, which caused a lot of havoc and damage in the facility. There were pieces of shattered glass flying around and becoming projectiles. Wind pushed the interior corridors in on the patients who were in the core areas. Wind got up into the ceiling and blew out ceiling tiles, light fixtures, wiring—everything began coming down out of the ceiling and blowing around. It was a different story in the behavioral health division, though, which used glass that was essentially laminated safety glass. It’s actually a code requirement for behavioral health— there either has to be screens over the windows, or the windows themselves have to be made of safety glass, so that patients can’t break the glass and use it to hurt themselves or others. Those windows cracked, but they stayed in place, withstanding winds that were over 200 miles (322 kilometers) an hour, as well as the impact of all kinds of flying debris. Maintaining the exterior of the facility is critical in our new plan, and the windows are obviously a big part of that. All of the glass we’re putting in the new facility will be at least 20 percent stronger than the safety glass in the old facility. In a lot of areas, including those that aren’t critical, we’ll use safety glass rated to withstand winds of 140 miles (225 kilometers) per hour. In our critical areas, such as the intensivecare unit, neo-natal intensive care, and pediatric intensive care, the glass will be rated to withstand winds of 250 miles (402 kilometers) per hour, which will also be able to withstand projectiles hitting it at 100 miles (161 kilometers) per hour. Lesson Learned: Harden the Building’s Exterior Covering There were also problems with the building’s covering. The old hospital had an exterior insulation finishing system (EIFS), a lightweight synthetic cladding that also includes insulating materials. The problem is that it isn’t as strong, or projectile-proof, as concrete or stone. When you walked around the areas of the hospital that used EIFS, you could see glass shards stuck in it and pieces of metal or two-by-fours that had penetrated it. Some debris can go right through an EIFS. The new facility will not be covered with EIFS in any of the patient care areas. Building exteriors in those areas will either be reinforced concrete, stone and brick, or precast concrete. The entire exterior skin will be made of a harder material, which will prevent the kind of exterior damage we saw at the old hospital and help prevent the kind of serious interior damage that led to chaos and injuries. Lesson Learned: Install an Improved Roof System The old hospital included roofs that were just metal decks with Styrofoam insulation, with roof systems on top of them. Some of those roof systems included ballast, which was actually composed of small rocks like you’d use for landscaping. The tornado picked up all that rock and threw it around with tremendous force, causing a lot of damage. As much as a quarter of the JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2013 NFPA JOURNAL 49 http://www.jointcommission.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - January/February 2013

NFPA Journal - January/february 2013
Contents
First Word
In a Flash
Perspectives
Firewatch
Research
Heads Up
Structural Ops
In Compliance
Buzzwords
Outreach
Electrical Safety
Wildfire Watch
Rebuilding a Hospital
Prepping for the Worst
Chicago View: A Preview of the 2013 NFPA Conference & Expo
Long Time Coming
Section Spotlight
What’s Hot
Looking Back

NFPA Journal - January/February 2013