Emergency Power Planning for Health Care Institutions

Reliable power sources are essential components to any successful business’s productivity and workflow. While these institutions may lose revenue during outages, not having access to necessary electricity is even more dire for hospitals and other medical environments.

MRI machines, ventilators, blood pressure monitors, and surgical instruments are just a few examples of tools needed to provide the high standard of care expected of health care providers. HVAC equipment and digital interfaces require electricity to maintain patient safety and comfort. As a result, having backup power for your hospital is an essential component of keeping your organization compliant.

Determining where your emergency power supply will come from is a fantastic way to safeguard your facility and prevent the devastating effects an outage could have on your patients.

What Is Emergency Power Planning? 

Every hospital and medical facility are required to install and maintain a reliable back-up power supply, as addressed by various governing bodies including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Your power can go out for numerous reasons, including weather, natural disasters, human error, equipment failure, overloading, and other issues. 

Power planning helps you determine where, when and how you’ll receive power during an outage. By devising a sound strategy, you’ll have the peace of mind of knowing you can protect your patients and employees while preserving your bottom line. Keep the following steps in mind to create a successful plan before a hospital power outage: 

1. Determine your power needs. 
2. Choose a fuel type.
3. Identify a location.
4. Work with a reliable provider.
5. Test your system.

Crucial Power Standards 

Maintaining access to backup power for your health care facility is crucial to keeping your operations productive and your patients safe. Because of this significance, organizations like the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) have created a set of standards and regulations that hospitals and other mission-critical environments must follow to receive certain accreditations. Some of these standards include: 

• NFPA 70: Also referred to as the National Electric Code, this standard is enforced in all 50 states and specifies how a facility should design, install, and inspect its electrical system to ensure safety. Among these guidelines are generator response times.
• NFPA 99: Under this regulation, generators are classified as electrical systems and must be designed and serviced according to one of four risk categories. Category One, for example, includes strict standards focused on areas that could result in patient injury or death during an outage, while Category Four is less stringent as it describes practices for locations with no impact on health. 
• NFPA 101: Known as the Life Safety Code, this ruling outlines the basic emergency power requirements a hospital must satisfy. These orders include the types of emergency generators allowed and the need for routine maintenance from a qualified technician. 
• NFPA 110: This code sets the standard for how hospitals should install and maintain their emergency power systems (EPS). It defines how to maintain equipment based on one or two risk locations in your health care facility and is revised every three years to ensure ongoing compliance. 

Types of Backup Power Systems for Your Hospital

Electricity is crucial to many of the daily activities that occur in medical settings. Backup power systems help preserve the proper and safe functioning of your hospital when you lose power, whether from a malfunction in your electrical system or damage from a harsh storm. 

Power sources are manufactured in various sizes and configurations and leverage unique fuel or energy sources. Finding the right alternative power supply is essential for keeping your hospital operating at peak efficiency and safety. Here are a few of your options: 

• Generators: Standby generators create electricity using diesel or gasoline and are available in various sizes to power properties anywhere from a few days to weeks. 
• Emergency power systems: EPS solutions use advanced batteries or fossil fuels to provide dedicated power to sprinkler systems, smoke alarms, and emergency lighting during a hospital power outage.
• Uninterruptible power supplies (UPS): UPS systems are designed to protect equipment and data security by storing backup power in a battery and instantaneously switching sources when the main power fails. 

Partner With H.O. Penn to Secure an Emergency Power Supply

Whether you manage a public hospital or a private health care institution, a backup power supply is crucial for compliance and safety. H.O. Penn Machinery is the go-to Cat® power system provider throughout southern New York and Connecticut. We supply customers with high-quality and cost-effective diesel, natural gas, and propane options to keep their operations running when accidents happen. 

At H.O. Penn, we strive to be a trusted partner for all your emergency power generation needs. We have years of experience developing customized designs and contingency plans to ensure our products align with your property’s specific needs. Our technicians also perform reliable diagnostics and mobile repair services to keep your systems in top condition all year. 

Interested in securing an advanced hospital backup power supply? Contact our team online to learn more about our services today!