Applying a quantitative fire risk assessment method in hospital settings: Case study

Marzieh Beljikangarlou, Ali Ghazvinloo, Alireza Dehdashti, Mohammad Reza MirLavasani

Abstract

Understanding and mitigating fire risks in healthcare settings are crucial for ensuring the safety of individuals, especially during the current pandemic, which has increased the use of oxygen-supply equipment and potentially raised fire hazards.

Introduction

Hospital settings should be able to provide health-care services to affected people in disasters and emergencies without interruption [1]. Across countries, fire and explosion hazards in the hospitals and healthcare facilities have caused damage to people, properties, work processes, and the environment [2,3].

Materials and methods

This study was designed as a case study, carried out in two university hospitals, from April to June 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim was to assess fire risk using the Comprehensive Fire Risk Assessment Method for Engineering (FRAME) method.

Results

Overall, of 84 assessed fire risks in three levels of building and their contents, occupants, and activities, the frequency and severity of safety hazards of 55 exceeded the acceptance levels in two hospitals.

Discussion

This study assessed the fire risk factors in healthcare facilities, focusing on two university hospitals. This study focused on the risk levels of buildings, occupants, and activities in various wards. The findings revealed that fire risks in healthcare facilities are significantly influenced by hospital layout, staff training, fire protection systems.

Conclusion

Based on the risk scores obtained it is evident that fire risk levels are unacceptable for majority of activities, occupants, and buildings within hospital units.

Citation: Beljikangarlou M, Ghazvinloo A, Dehdashti A, MirLavasani MR (2025) Applying a quantitative fire risk assessment method in hospital settings: Case study. PLoS ONE 20(2): e0315936. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0315936

Editor: Sara Hemati, SKUMS: Shahrekord University of Medical Science, ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN

Received: July 25, 2024; Accepted: December 3, 2024; Published: February 6, 2025

Copyright: © 2025 Beljikangarlou et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Data Availability: All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files.

Funding: The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.

Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

 

Source: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0315936#abstract0