Chemetron Impact Alarm Background Information

The Chemetron Impact alarm was a very popular alarm choice for many healthcare facilities and was sold by Allied. These alarms were sold in many configurations including area & master alarm systems. Chemetron impact alarms are also known to have many problems when installed in facilities and no longer meet the NFPA 99 2012 code requirements for alarms.

 

Chemetron Impact Alarm NFPA 99 2012 Code Compliance

On July 1st, 2016 CMS adopted the NFPA 99 2012 Edition. This code made the alarms no longer code-compliant due to a flaw in the programming of the alarm panel. The NFPA 99 2012 code 5.1.9.3.5 states: Area Alarm panels for medical gas systems shall provide a visual and audible indication in the event a mismatch occurs between the transducer(s) and its associated circuit board(s).

The Chemetron Impact alarm panel does not differentiate between transducers, meaning the alarm panel could have a Medical Air transducer installed on the Oxygen control module and the alarm would not notify personnel of the error. This can be an issue, especially for installers, when landing transducers as they would have no way of knowing if the transducers are landed incorrectly. Furthermore, this can lead to false monitoring of gases, and in the event of loss of gas, healthcare personnel would have no way of knowing if the correct gas is being depleted. All other modern medical gas area alarm panels sold by other manufacturers have this fail-safe built in to prevent such a catastrophe.

 

Issues with the Chemetron Impact Alarm

As the Chemetron Impact ages, there are many known issues that come with these panels. Most notably, the alarm falls into a “glitch” where the alarm quits monitoring the gases and begins to show a “007” error. This issue is fixable by reprogramming the alarm, however, this is not a permanent fix. This will only temporarily fix the glitch and it’s only a matter of time before the alarm falls back into this glitch.

When the alarm falls into this “glitch” all gas pressure monitoring is disabled by the module on the alarm. This can be a major issue since the alarm would then fail to notify healthcare personnel of any problematic situations resulting in the medical gas system. The only known permanent fix to this glitch is replacing the control module or the alarm.

 

Parts & Service from Allied

On December 20th, 2022 Allied released a statement saying they would be closing their facility and production would cease operations. Since Allied is the parent company of Chemetron Healthcare products, this means there will be no further manufacturing of parts for these panels. If these panels are in operation and need service parts replaced this will be increasingly difficult due to the lack of parts that will be available. Healthcare facilities should have a plan in place for these panels since parts are no longer going to be available.

 

What To Do If Your Facility Has Chemetron Impact Alarm

If your facility has these panels in operation, it’s time to start considering a replacement panel for the safety and well-being of your patients and staff. Compliance Solutions offers a wide variety of options when it comes to dealing with these obsolete panels and we can assist your facility in creating a plan of action for the next steps. We offer turn-key retrofits for these existing Chemetron Impact panels. Offering the latest in medical gas monitoring technology with high-end reliable medical gas panels that give you and your staff a piece of mind when it comes to monitoring your medical gas systems without breaking the budget.

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