You have until February 20th to make your opinions known on a proposed change in the Evironment of Care standards from JCAHO that would require that the hospital's emergency generator be tested for at least 4 continuous hours every 12 months.

The link for details is http://www.jcaho.org/accredited+organizations/hospitals/standards/field+reviews/ec740_std_fr.html

My comment: A significant number of generators fail when placed in use or within the early hours of operation, and only then is it determined that the hospital is not prepared to survive without the generator.

Testing your generator at least two hours to power the hospital and place an operating load on the system each and every month offers a lot more assurance that your facility will survive a power outage.

Then, of course, routine maintenance plans, critical spare parts on site, and an adequate fuel reserve are also essential to keeping your hospital up and running.