Sophisticated and expensive equipment, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, are often intensively used to provide diagnostic services that are critical to a hospital’s mission.  MRI machines pose a unique fire protection challenge for a hospital, not only because the tremendous energy used can be a source of fire, but also because traditional fire fighting techniques cannot be used in proximity of the machine’s magnets—without posing an undue risk to the patient, who may be immobilized.  And when the equipment replacement costs as well as the business interruption costs are added in, it becomes clear that the protection of your MRI machine is vital to the continued productivity and profitability of your hospital.

Despite the low occurrence of fires experienced by hospitals, MRI suites continue to pose significant fire protection/life safety risks. As each new generation of MRI machines increases in performance, they use more powerful magnets, and consume more power, which in turn increases the risk to people and the equipment.

While many hospitals rely on sprinklers or portable extinguishers as their only fire protection in MRI suites, a risk assessment reveals:

• Sprinklers are designed to (and are very effective at) protecting the building structure, but not its contents or people.
• Sprinklers need significant heat to operate, requiring a full flaming fire, destroying equipment at the source of the fire.
• Equipment throughout the facility suffers collateral damage from water and smoke, with smoke often causing damage and injuries quite a distance away from the source of the incident.
• Installation of sprinklers in an MRI suite can be costly because of the magnetic fields.
• Relying on portable extinguishers in the confusion of an emergency can lead to injury to both the patients in the machine, as well as responders.
• Relying on portable extinguishers can result in delays in putting out the fire.
• An MRI machine damaged by fire or water represents a significant cost to replace.
• Downtime of an MRI machine can represent a significant business interruption, both in disrupted schedules and loss of revenue.

Fenwal Protection Systems and its worldwide network of factory-trained distributors can provide the best waterless fire protection systems, to protect your healthcare equipment from fire.  Our innovative products to protect machines, such as an MRI, include: