Fire Safety in Hospitals: Requirements That Allow No Compromise
Hospitals operate around the clock and house patients, many of whom cannot leave the building on their own. Their safety strategy therefore relies on protecting patients in place or moving them horizontally to a safe smoke compartment on the same floor, rather than evacuating the whole building.
How the code classifies hospitals
In the International Building Code, on which the 2018 edition of the General Building Code (SBC 201) is based, hospitals are Institutional Group I-2: buildings providing 24-hour medical care to people who are incapable of self-preservation. Their design falls under both the General Building Code and the Saudi Fire Protection Code (SBC 801), and the details should be checked in the 2024 edition now in force.
Key requirements
| Item | International Building Code requirement |
|---|---|
| Automatic sprinklers | An automatic sprinkler system throughout buildings with a Group I fire area, with quick-response or residential sprinklers in patient care areas |
| Smoke compartments | Every floor used for patient care or sleeping divided into at least two smoke compartments, each no larger than 22,500 ft² (2,092 m²) |
| Distance to a smoke barrier door | No more than 200 ft (61 m) from any point |
| Smoke detection | In corridors and patient sleeping areas |
Refer to the adopted edition of the Saudi code on each project.
What it means for design and operation
- Coordinate the alarm system with doors, smoke barriers and HVAC from the start of design.
- Train staff in horizontal evacuation, because the strategy depends on them.
- Keep documented periodic maintenance of fire doors, smoke barriers, detection and suppression.
For more detail, see our hospitals fire and life safety guide.
Designing a hospital or healthcare facility? AZEIDK provides fire alarm, fire fighting and smoke extraction systems, with Civil Defense approval support and periodic maintenance. Contact the AZEIDK team
