American University of Beirut

The American University of Beirut (AUB) was founded in 1866 as a private, independent, non-sectarian institution of higher learning, functioning under a charter from the State of New York. AUB has grown from 16 students in a rented house to a major university with over 7,550 students located on a 73-acre campus overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The University is governed by an autonomous Board of Trustees composed of international leaders in business, education, diplomacy, engineering, philanthropy, science and medicine.

AUB Medical Center

Today, the AUB Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center (AUBMC) are among the most prominent and respected medical institutions in the Middle East. They are considered a major healthcare centre in Lebanon and a healthcare 'safety net' for Lebanon and the region. AUBMC is the private, non-profit teaching centre for the Faculty of Medicine. It consists of a 420-bed medical centre and provides all medical, surgical, pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecological and psychiatric services. The Medical Center offers comprehensive healthcare services, extensive tertiary/quaternary resources, medical, nursing and paramedical training.

Pre-existing situation & UTCFS’s role

Previously, the AUB Medical Centre had a fire detection system in place for several years, but this had become outdated. It became difficult to obtain spare parts and therefore the need for a new and improved system became increasingly apparent. In 1957, AUB ordered the installation of a fire detection system from a company that is today part of UTCFS. As AUB already had experience with these products, they did not hesitate to once again turn to UTCFS for its replacement system.

UTCFS’s solution

The AUB Medical Center uses UTCFS’s high-end EST fire detection platform, offering scalability and a number of monitoring and operating functions particularly attractive to security staff and fire brigades. Over 1,000 devices and modules have been positioned throughout the AUB Medical Center, all of which are connected to six EST control panels operating on UTCFS's FireWorks management software package. This software allows security staff to configure all the panels and detectors and to perform diagnostic checks on all the connected devices. FireWorks also displays a map that gives security personnel an overview of the entire AUB Medical Center and the state of all its fire detection devices.