Industries We Serve
Fire Protection for Healthcare Facilities
Hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes carry some of the strictest fire protection requirements of any occupancy type, built around a simple reality: patients often can’t evacuate quickly. Get matched with a contractor experienced in healthcare fire protection.
Why Healthcare Fire Protection Is Different
Most fire and building codes assume occupants can evacuate. Hospitals and nursing homes can’t always make that assumption — patients may be immobile, sedated, or connected to equipment. As a result, healthcare occupancies are typically designed around a “defend-in-place” strategy: the building itself, through fire-rated smoke compartments, is designed to contain a fire long enough to move patients horizontally to an adjacent, unaffected compartment rather than evacuate the building entirely.
This drives requirements beyond standard commercial fire protection, often intersecting with NFPA 99 (the Health Care Facilities Code) alongside NFPA 13 and 72.
Systems Healthcare Facilities Commonly Need
- Fire sprinkler systems throughout patient care areas, typically wet pipe in occupied space
- Fire alarm and detection systems coordinated with smoke compartmentation and, often, automatic door release
- Clean agent suppression for imaging equipment rooms, data centers, and other spaces where water damage isn’t an option
- Kitchen hood suppression for on-site cafeterias and food service
- Portable fire extinguishers sized and placed per NFPA 10
Frequently Asked Questions
Do hospitals evacuate during a fire?
Not usually in full. Most healthcare facilities use a defend-in-place strategy, moving patients to an adjacent smoke compartment rather than evacuating the building, unless the fire directly threatens that compartment.
Are healthcare fire protection requirements different from a typical office building?
Yes. Healthcare occupancies are held to institutional occupancy standards, often layering NFPA 99 requirements on top of standard NFPA 13 and 72 requirements, along with stricter inspection and documentation expectations from accrediting bodies.
Do outpatient clinics have the same requirements as hospitals?
It depends on the specific occupancy classification, which is based on factors like whether patients are incapable of self-preservation. A licensed contractor or your AHJ can confirm which classification applies to your facility.
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