An SOC and Life Safety Survey Can Eliminate Unneeded Fire Walls From Your Life Safety Plan

Posted Tue February 09 2010 in Technical Articles

An SOC and Life Safety Survey Can Eliminate Unneeded Fire Walls From Your Life Safety Plan.

Renovations and expansions are part of the lifecycle of every healthcare facility. These projects directly affect the facility’s life safety plan in that an additional two-hour wall – including doors, dampers and fire-stopping – is required by NFPA 101 to separate additions/renovations from existing facilities that do not comply with provisions of NFPA 101, Chapter 19.

It is often assumed that the existing structure is not in compliance and the two-hour fire wall is automatically included into the new life safety plan. The addition of these walls will require constant maintenance of the doors, dampers, penetrations and other features.

This can be time consuming and costly.

What if there was a way to eliminate this two-hour fire wall, while also helping you in other areas?

You are required by the Joint Commission to perform a Statement of Conditions survey every three years. Why not schedule an SOC, along with a life safety survey, prior to start of the project so any deficiencies are identified and corrected in advance?

Doing this will enable you to address issues that would cause the existing structure to be non-compliant with Chapter 19. Fixing these problems before beginning the project will eliminate the necessity for the two-hour wall by bringing the existing facility in line with current regulations. At the same time, you are fulfilling the requirement of a Joint Commission mandated SOC.

RJA is a world leader in fire protection, security and life-safety code consulting and has extensive experience with healthcare facilities throughout the world. We provide value and cost savings to new and existing healthcare facilities located in every jurisdiction in the US. 

To learn how we can help you on your next renovation or expansion project, or to find out more about the services we offer, please call us at 888-831-4RJA.

Let the experienced consultants at RJA provide peace of mind on your next project. 

previous page...

Share This

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•