Alarm transmission options are tight when it comes to fire drill requirements
There was discussion swirling this week on HCPro’s Patient Safety Talk group about whether folks are required to actually pull the fire alarm during a fire drill.
Unfortunately this is not quite as clear-cut as one would want, though perhaps less muddy than some other compliance rivers. The Life Safety Code (LSC) does require transmission of an alarm signal (basically an activation of the alarm system).
What other options do you have for controlling that activation in a drill condition besides the pull station? I suppose that, depending on the fire alarm system, there might be other means of activating the system (this is where things get a little fuzzy).
The bottom line expectation from the LSC is for activation of the fire alarm system, and if the only way to get there is by activating a pull station, then that’s the way it’s got to happen (with the exception of the hours between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., when a coded announcement can be used instead of full activation).
About the Author: Steve MacArthur is a consultant for The Greeley Company, a division of HCPro. He brings 30 years of healthcare management and consulting experience to his work with hospitals, physician offices, and ambulatory care facilities across the country. He is the author of HCPro's Hospital Safety Director's Handbook and is contributing editor for Briefings on Hospital Safety. Contact Steve at 
Bruce Treis | Aug 20, 2009 | Reply
When conducting fire drills I occasionally will activate a smoke detector using the canned smoke. I believe this is a more realistic drill since the respondants must locate the fire and then coordinate the necessary response steps. Also when a smoke detector is activated you do not have to listen to the complaints that this is not a good time for a drill nor do you have to hunt down the folks that see you coming and hide from you.