Maintaining Fire & Smoke Barriers

Below is a great 2 minute video from ASHE that provides an overview of the importance of proactive fire barrier management in hospitals throughout the country.

Take a look:

Gleeson Powers has been a leader in the fire barrier management and life safety industry for 20 years.  We offer both contracting services (such as firestopp installation & surveying, fire door inspections, fire damper inspections and fireproofing installation) and documentation and management services using our Life Safety Tracker System® software. 

Gleeson Powers Fire Barrier Management Video

We are excited to announce that we've made a 2 minute video describing our approach to fire barrier management in healthcare and an introduction to Gleeson Powers, Inc.Please see the video below and let us know what you think!


As always, you can find out more about our offerings at www.gleesonpowers.com or give us a call at (508)553-0800.

Gleeson Powers, Inc. offers fire barrier management & life safety solutions including firestop installation and surveys, fire damper inspections and fire door inspections.

Hartford Hospital Fire Documentary

This documentary remembers the 1961 fire that tore through the 9th floor of Hartford Hospital, killing 16. The Connecticut tragedy would have an impact nationwide, changing hospital, educational and hotel construction forever. It serves as a sober reminder of the importance of both active and passive fire protection conditions.

UL/IFC Firestop Video

See below for a video by UL & IFC that gives a great overview of firestopping:

India Hospital Fire Lacks Proper Firestopping

The December fire at the AMRI Hospital in India, which claimed 93 lives, did not have the proper fire stop systems in place, investigators say. The building did not have veritical firestop in place which could have prevented the spread of smoke from the basement of the building to other floors. This tragic event reminds us of the importance of all forms of Life Safety, including passive fire protection (firestopping, fire dampers, fire doors, photoluminecensce).

See below for more information on the preliminary investigations:

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2717089.ece

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_week-after-amri-fire-anger-still-not-doused_1626688

For hospitals in particular, it is extremely important that all firestopping is installed correctly and proactively maintained. Gleeson Powers, Inc. has been working in healthcare for the last twenty years, and has developed a Fire Barrier Management Program specifically for hospitals. We take a proactive approach to passive fire protection so that facility managers can enter Joint Commission audits with confidence, but also so that in the case of a fire, fire and smoke can be contained to a single area, reducing the threat to life.

Recent fire at hospital in the Bronx

See below for an article about a recent fire at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx last month.

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/09/fire-prompts-limited-evacuation-at-bronx-hospital/

This is a reminder of the importance of not only an effective exit procedure, but also of making sure your passive fire protection is up to date and in compliance. Effective compartmentation of a hospital is essential to fire safety - this includes inspecting fire doors and fire and smoke dampers, implementing an above ceiling permit process for firestopping, and having an effective fire barrier management system in place for compliance management.

See our website, www.gleesonpowers.com for more information on our passive fire protection services.

Speaker Line up for November Seminar!

We are happy to announce a great line up of speakers for our Fall seminar in Foxwoods. The seminar will be a full day event, with a variety of topics pertaining to life safety in the healthcare environment. The seminar will be held on November 15th, 2011. More information can be found at: http://www.gleesonpowers.com/about-us/seminars/. We hope you can join us!