Life Safety Systems

Life safety systems are an integral part of the integrated electronic systems designed to keep the inhabitants of your facility safe and secure. The Hiller team is trained, educated, and certified on the vast landscape of life safety systems codes. We work closely with the governing Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) to adhere to and comply with the code adopted locally. Hiller is a proud member of the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) and works closely with their organization to train, educate and certify our team members in the NFPA 101 Life Safety Code for the United States. Life safety systems include: fire alarms, bi-directional firefighter radio amplification systems (BDA), Areas of Refuge (AOR), Mass Notification, Access Control, Weather Monitoring and other systems that directly relate to the fire alarm system and your safety.

Areas of Refuge

One of the first things to happen in an emergency situation, such as a fire, is that elevators become inoperable. People must use the stairs to escape the building, setting the stage for tragedy. Too often, there will be those who are unable to use the stairs, such as the disabled, the ill, or the elderly. Rescue personnel must search room by room for those who could not leave during the evacuation, delaying rescue and unnecessarily risking both their own lives and the lives of those left behind.

Areas of Refuge (AOR) Assist Victims and Rescuers

Areas of Refuge are designed to alleviate this situation. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), AORs must be established, providing a safer place where those in need of rescue can assemble and contact rescue personnel while waiting for help. These locations must be clearly identified. Precious time is saved since rescuers know where people needing help are waiting, making rescues easier and faster. Hiller is certified in designing AORs for your facility.

Requirements for AORs

Typically, local building codes stipulate that pressurized ductwork must provide a constant supply of filtered or fresh air for a certain amount of time even when exposed to a fire. Necessary electrical equipment must also have an acceptable fire-resistance rating. We know that an essential part of any system is two-way communication to areas of refuge. Inhabitants awaiting rescue are able to notify rescue personnel of their condition and location, as well as, receive confirmation that their communication has been received. Our licensed team tests, inspects and monitors this system to ensure your inhabitants’ safety is priority.

We design systems to comply with the local regulations and to comply with ADA requirements. This means the system we install in the areas of refuge will have the capability of 24/7 monitoring and will have devices to aid those with hearing, speech and limited mobility to communicate effectively.

Other requirements:

• Emergency lighting that will operate in a blackout
• Appropriate signage pointing the way and identifying Areas of Rescue Assistance
• Designated locations next to the emergency exit path, including exit stairs, but not blocking the path of able-bodied evacuees
• A fire barrier between the Area of Refuge and the remainder of the building
• An area large enough to hold at least one wheelchair, depending on the building

Nurse Call

Nurse call systems are critical parts of patient care, and the advancement in technology has changed how personnel can interact with patients.

We provide our clients with intelligent nurse call systems that allow your staff to assess, monitor and measure the care that is being delivered to your patients. When choosing a nurse call system, it is important to factor the age of the technology, ease of use, the adaptability to add new emerging technology and integration with your other systems in place. Another important factor when choosing a nurse call system, as the healthcare industry enters the age of “big data” is the ability to pull reports from the systems you have in place. The more information that can be captured, analyzed and visualized, the better the facility can translate that information in to actionable insight.

PARTNERING WITH TOP INDUSTRY SUPPLIERS

• Talkaphone
• Rath Microtech
• Aiphone
• Edwards Signaling