Fire Sprinkler, focus at selective Photo: 123rf
Authorities have put out a first ever guide setting out the minimum standards of fire safety and designs for public hospitals.
Hospitals have lacked their own fire engineering guide, which has caused delays in construction or sparked conflict with councils over getting building consents.
Official reviews since 2020 have found many faults with designs including of maternity suites and evacuation routes.
Hospitals cannot engage in all-out evacuations in a fire, unlike, say, an office building, so have needed special rules but lacked them.
"The aim is to facilitate ... building consent approval decisions and FENZ evacuation scheme approval, thereby minimising delays during design, consenting, commissioning and evacuation planning for hospital buildings," said the new 200-page guide, which has been several years in the making.
It demands that all buildings have automatic fire suppressions systems (most commonly these are sprinklers), and alarms, and that building design goes hand-in-hand with evacuation planning.
Lifts in more than one spot were encouraged, to aid evacuation.
"A design utilising a single lift placed within a small floorplate is discouraged."
There was a fair bit about "passive" fire protection systems, which have been a particular weak point in hospitals: This can include where holes for wiring or aircon that could let smoke or flames move between rooms, have not been properly sealed.
Designs must prioritise occupant safety and keeping a hospital running.
"The fire safety issues associated with the clinical service being provided and the patients being treated" must be understood, it said.
Te Whatu Ora, Fire and Emergency, fire engineers and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment worked together on the new guide, which is pegged to the Australasian Health Facility Guidelines.