Installation of a fire detection and alarm system at the CHUC in Portugal

Each room of the Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra (Hospital Center and University of Coimbra) is equipped with a state-of-the-art fire detection system that ensures the safety of patients and staff. In the event of an emergency, security personnel can quickly identify and locate the danger thanks to the centralized Control Room.

About the CHUC

The Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra (Hospital Center and University of Coimbra) is the largest healthcare institution in Portugal. With more than 2,000 beds and 8,500 patients seen per day, the CHUC is made up of two general hospitals (Hospitais da Universidade de Coimbra and Hospital Geral), the Pediatric Hospital of Coimbra, two maternity hospitals (Maternidade Bissaya Barreto and Maternidade Daniel de Matos) and a psychiatric hospital (Hospital Psiquiátrico Sobral Cid). It offers specialist care in all areas of health, from prenatal assistance to care of the elderly, thus serving the needs of individuals and family units as they move through various stages of the life cycle.

The CHUC, given its size, presented a number of challenges in regard to the design of the fire system. It was necessary to provide fast and prompt detection in each room of the various hospital wards and a single point of supervision (Control Room) for rapid identification and localization of danger. The architectural layout of the site required a flexible system, capable of integrating gas detection and of interacting with all the systems in the structure. The field-proven reliability of the equipment to be used was crucial.

Previdia Max control panels, with their scalable structure based on "Hot-Plug" modules, are well suited for the tasks of expansion and maintenance without any interruptions in service. The possibility of interconnecting the various control panels through a HORNET+ Network and the management of the most widespread digital protocols for interconnection with the monitoring software led the project designers to choose the Inim system.