protection for personnel shall not be required for receptacles installed in those critical care areas where the toilet and basin are in stalled within the patient room.

III. Essential Electrical System

517.25 Scope. The essential electrical system for these facilities shall comprise a system capable of supplying a limited amount of lighting and power service, which is considered essential for life safety and orderly cessation of procedures during the time normal electrical service is in terrupted for any reason. This includes clinics, medical and dental offices, outpatient facilities, nursing homes, limited care facilities, hospitals, and other health care facilities

serving patients.
FPN: For information on the need for an essential electrical system, see NFPA 99-2005, Standard for Health Care Facilities.

517.26 Application of Other Articles. The essential elec

trical system shall meet the requirements of Article
700,except as amended by Article 517.

517.30 Essential Electrical Systems for Hospitals.

(A) Applicability. The requirements of Part III, 517.30 through 517.35, shall apply to hospitals where an essential

electrical system is required.
FPN No. 1: For performance, maintenance, and testing requirements of essential electrical systems in hospitals, see NFPA 99-2005, Standard for Health Care Facilities. For installation of centrifugal fire pumps, see NFPA 20-2007, Standard for the Installation of Stationary Fire Pumps for Fire Protection.
FPN No. 2: For additional information, see NFPA 99-
2005, Standard for Health Care Facilities.

(B) General.

(1) Separate Systems. Essential electrical systems for hospitals shall be comprised of two separate systems capable of supplying a limited amount of lighting and power service that is considered essential for life

safety and effective hospital operation during the time the normal electrical service is interrupted for any reason. These two systems shall be the emergency system and the equipment system.

(2) Emergency Systems. The emergency system shall be limited to circuits essential to life safety and critical patient care. These are designated the life safety branch and the critical branch. [99:4.4.2.2.1.1]

(3) Equipment System. The equipment system shall supply major electrical equipment necessary for patient care and basic hospital operation.

Normal supply

\°#

Normal power source

Nonessential L

loads

Automatic switching equipment

Alternate power source v

M

(4) Transfer Switches. The number of transfer switches to be used shall be based on reliability, design, and load considerations. Each branch of the emergency system and each equipment system shall have one or more transfer switches. One transfer

▼

Equipment system

Critical branch

Life safety branch

switch shall be permitted to serve one or more branches or systems in a facility with a maximum demand on the essential electrical system of 150 kVA.
FPN No. 1: See NFPA 99-2005, Standard for Health Care Facilities: 4.4.3.2, Transfer Switch Operation Type I; 4.4.2.1.4, Automatic Transfer Switch Features; and 4.4.2.1.6, Nonautomatic Transfer Device Features.
FPN No. 2: See FPN Figure 517.30, No. 1. FPN No. 3: See FPN Figure 517.30, No. 2.

(5) Optional Loads. Loads served by the generating equipment not specifically named in Article 517 shall be

served by their own transfer switches such that the following conditions apply:

(1) These loads shall not