OLATHE, KS – As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues worldwide, the U.S. has responded by quickly building Alternative Care Facilities in cities across the nation to rapidly increase the capacity of hospitals to treat the influx of patients. To ensure these facilities are as safe from fire hazards as possible, Poole Fire Protection has been contracted to engineer the life safety, fire suppression and fire alarm systems in four of these medical facilities.

The construction companies contracted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to build these retrofitted Alternate Care Facilities reached out to Poole Fire Protection to ensure the facilities meet fire protection and life safety codes and standards. The firm has responded quickly to support the construction of Alternative Care Facilities affiliated with Oklahoma State University Medical Center (Tulsa, Oklahoma), Nashville General Hospital (Nashville, Tennessee), Kalispell Regional Hospital (Kalispell, Montana), and Memorial Hospital of Texas County Authority (Guymon, Oklahoma).

“The world is struggling to contend with the COVID-19 crisis, and we have strived to be a part of the solution by creating fire-safe Alternate Care Facilities,” said Jack Poole, principal of Poole Fire Protection. “We know this is an urgent situation, and our team has quickly responded when called upon to support the urgent construction of these facilities to increase the capacity of local hospitals.”

While it is vital for these facilities to be constructed quickly, it is just as critical to ensure no short-cuts are taken with the safety of the staff and patients of these facilities. Services Poole Fire Protection has provided for the construction of these facilities include fire protection and life safety assessments, fire suppression and fire alarm system design, guidance and support to local fire marshals, development of code compliance plans, construction oversight and testing / commissioning of the life safety, fire suppression and alarm systems.