Large, modern hospitals present a unique safety challenge. Every day, thousands of people from patients and visitors to clinicians and teaching staff, come together within a single campus. To keep everyone safe, fire alarms and detection systems need to work smoothly throughout all parts of the hospital, from patient areas to its research labs, without interfering with medical care or the hospital’s digital infrastructure.
This is especially true at Ireland’s New National Children’s Hospital, located in Dublin. The hospital has been designed to bring together paediatric services from multiple locations across Dublin into one site, creating a national centre for specialist care, education and research. The campus covers more than 160,000 square metres, the size of 22 football pitches. It includes thousands of rooms, from inpatient wards to operating theatres, outpatient facilities and even a dedicated education centre.
Making sure the hospital is safe from fire across a site of this scale requires systems that are accurate, resilient and adaptable. These systems must protect vulnerable patients and fit in with busy hospital routines. Since this is Ireland’s first fully digital hospital, any fire safety technology also needs to work with its IT infrastructure for real-time monitoring.
In collaboration with its partners G4S Fire & Security Systems Ireland and Mercury Engineering, Halma companies led by Apollo Fire Detectors have implemented an integrated fire detection and alarm solution. Apollo fire detectors, Advanced fire alarm control panels and FFE flame detectors are deployed throughout the hospital, providing protection tailored to the specific needs of the different areas. The system is designed to work reliably across the campus, supporting safety without interfering with clinical care or digital operations.
More than 25,000 devices have been installed, ensuring prompt and dependable detection while supporting ongoing operational resilience. The partnership with G4S reflects Halma’s fire companies’ commitment to deliver reliable safety solutions and keep one of Europe’s most advanced hospitals safe, every day.
"Together with Halma’s fire companies Apollo, FFE and Advanced, G4S, alongside Mercury Engineering, created a reliable, flexible and scalable fire safety system designed around the needs of a modern healthcare environment, that could grow with the building and keep patients, staff and visitors safe."
Quintin Moore, Operations Manager Fire Projects, G4S Fire & Security Systems Ireland
