Emergency lighting in healthcare facilities is crucial for protecting vulnerable patients, staff and visitors. Whether you're looking for emergency lighting for wards and theatres, escape route illumination for clinics, or a BS 5266 compliant system for a large NHS trust site, Hochiki's emergency lighting systems can help.
The Royal Free Hospital is a major teaching hospital in the Hampstead area of the London Borough of Camden. The hospital is part of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, which also runs services at Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital and several other sites.
Celebrating its centenary, the IRCCS Sacro Cuore Don Calabria Hospital is in Negrar, Verona, and thanks to the expert team and technology in place, it is considered one of Italy’s top medical facilities, and in fact at European level it is recognised as a leader in the healthcare sector.
Fitting a new life safety system to any public space can be a complex job, but when undertaking this task in a hospital, during a pandemic, the complexity increases tenfold. When Pyrotec Fire and Security were chosen as the contractors to update an existing fire detection system at Wycombe General Hospital, there was only one life safety device manufacturer that would fit the job – Hochiki.
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When plans were revealed to turn Cardiff's Principality Stadium into a 2,000-bed field hospital to ease pressure on the NHS from the coronavirus pandemic, the Fire Division of Ceaton Security Services Limited, based in Cardiff, were contracted to design and install the vital fire detection system, utilising Hochiki products.
FIREscape Nepto is an intelligent, self-testing emergency lighting system designed for efficient installation, long-term reliability and low maintenance.
FIREscape+ is a combined system integrating fire detection and emergency lighting, with dynamic exit signs that guide safe evacuation during emergencies.
There are many problems within the healthcare industry which can be resolved using Hochiki's diverse range of products and services to adapt to many environments. Below are some example issues that can be seen within the industry and how they can be resolved by Hochiki.
Healthcare sites present an environment with many risks, and when the mains power fails, reliable escape route and exit sign illumination becomes essential to guide patients, staff and visitors to safety, from wards to laboratories.
Healthcare sites present various levels of risk and, as such, sometimes require specific emergency lighting design to suit different areas of a facility, from theatres to plant rooms.
The healthcare environment is complex, with a multitude of risk types coupled with many members of the public and patients, some of whom cannot be easily evacuated and depend on clear, well-lit escape routes and staff guidance.
In the event of a power failure or evacuation, clear illuminated exit signage and escape route lighting help healthcare staff guide patients — particularly the elderly and infirm — calmly and safely, minimising distress.
Healthcare facilities must be able to provide evidence that an emergency lighting system is fit for purpose and is designed, installed, commissioned and maintained in accordance with standards such as BS 5266-1 by competent contractors.
FIREscape Nepto's luminaire and exit sign designs, including recessed options, allow emergency lighting to be integrated discreetly into clinical and patient-facing spaces without adding to the visual or acoustic disruption already present in a healthcare environment.
Hochiki offers a wide range of luminaires and exit signs suitable for any healthcare environment, from small clinics to large, multi-site NHS trusts.
The emergency lighting system should be designed in such a way as to simplify not just installation, but also the on-going maintenance, continuously reducing costs compared with central battery or mains-powered systems, over the system's lifetime.
Each FIREscape Nepto control panel supports up to two lighting lines and 127 devices per line, with up to 12 panels networkable together, making it suitable for anything from a single clinic to a sprawling hospital campus, all controlled from a single point.
The events that took place at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London in 2008 offer a vivid reminder of the implications of a serious hospital fire. Patients undergoing surgery at the time had to be taken off their anaesthetics and ventilators, and over 900 staff and patients had to be evacuated.
In a typical building, when the alarm goes off, everyone leaves – however, this is not the case in a hospital, as many of the occupants are simply unable to do so due to restricted mobility, or are dependent on life-critical equipment during an evacuation. Should a power failure occur during an incident, reliable emergency lighting is essential to guide staff, patients and visitors safely along escape routes.
Hospitals operate 24 hours a day, with corridors, theatres, wards and plant rooms often occupied even in the middle of the night. To avoid unnecessary risk, emergency lighting in healthcare facilities must activate instantly, remain reliable, and continue to function throughout an extended evacuation.