On Sat, 20 Feb 2010, Valdis.Kletnieks@vt.edu wrote:

(WTF quote that just went by - "Hospitals have backup diesel generators, but only 6-12 hours of fuel". I certainly hope that number is suffering from pulled-from-orifice syndrome. Heck - *our* day tank has 36 hours of diesel in it because "power out for 48-72 hours due to ice storm" is a realistic threat around here.

The standards have been changing. As always, please consult with a professional engineer licensed in your jurisdiction. Depending on the type of medical facility, it may now require up to 96 hours of backup. Although most medical care facilities are probably in the 24 or 72 hour range. At the upper operational limit, its a dry tank. You probably need to start worrying about escorting fuel trucks through the disaster area before the tanks run dry. It also assumes all medical facilites had the money to upgrade backup capacity and topped-off their tanks. See the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Health Organizations and the National Fire Protection Association standards. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/weekinreview/03fink.html But systems that meet those standards are .not always sufficient. in major catastrophes, according to a warning issued after Katrina by the organization that accredits most American hospitals, the Joint Commission. National electrical standards for hospitals were traditionally oriented toward maintaining electricity during common, brief local power outages, not prolonged emergencies. http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_14423862 "We've had power outages before in parts of the city," City Manager James Keene said. "But to have essentially the entire city without power from 8 in the morning to 6 at night, the impact that was having on businesses and critical services like Stanford Hospital, and all our traffic lights being out . you think about all the bad things and problems that could have unfolded over the course of the day. We really avoided most of those."