The new hospital is being built to replace those in Falkirk and Stirling

The Fire Brigades Union criticised the health authority for the move and said it showed profits were being put first.

NHS Forth Valley said there were "more appropriate" measures which had been adopted for the hospital.

Work on the new "super hospital" at Larbert, which will replace Falkirk and Stirling infirmaries, is due to be completed in December 2009.

The project is among Scotland's biggest public private partnership (PPP) hospital contracts.

Current legislation dictates that a sprinkler system must be fitted in all care homes and sheltered housing.

However, the law is yet to be extended to cover their installation in all new-build schools and hospitals.

'Threat to life'

Contractors Laing O'Rourke began construction on the site at the former Royal Scottish National Hospital last year.

FBU Central Scotland branch secretary Gordon McQuade told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme that other measures were not as effective as sprinklers.

He said: "Everybody in the fire industry is telling you to fit sprinklers, they are a fantastic fire fighting tool. They kill a fire in seconds."

Instead of sprinklers the hospital will be fitted with fire resistant walls and doors to "compartmentalise" any fire.

A sprinkler system would extinguish a fire very quickly before the fire service is even in attendance, whereas compartmentation would confine it but not put it out Central Scotland Fire Service

But Mr McQuade cast doubt over whether this method would stop a fire spreading.

He said: "What they are doing is the bare minimum.

"They are putting in the fire alarm and the fire extinguisher in the hope that the fire will be discovered early enough and they hope that the staff will put it out.

"If not the fire is away and taken hold. Everybody in the British fire service, from the Chief Fire Officer's Association to the Fire Brigades Union is telling you to fit sprinklers. They are a must."

Steven McKenzie, head of community safety at Central Scotland Fire and Rescue Service, said the brigade would prefer sprinklers were fitted over other fire prevention measures.

He said: "Central Scotland Fire and Rescue would always recommend sprinklers are installed in all non domestic new buildings.

"A sprinkler system would extinguish a fire very quickly before the fire service is even in attendance, whereas compartmentation would confine it but not put it out."

'Equipment deluged'

In response to the criticism, Ian Mullen, chairman of NHS Forth Valley, said they were acting on advice which suggested other methods were more effective for tackling fires in hospitals.

He also denied that they were not fitting a sprinkler systems to cut costs.

Mr Mullen said: "It's ridiculous to suggest that we are in any way cutting corners and it's not about cost.

"The advice that we've had is that there are better ways of dealing with fire safety in the new hospital than using sprinklers."

He said they were taking advice from Central Scotland Fire and Rescue, Falkirk Council and external technical experts.

He added: "If you have patients for example in an intensive care unit linked up to highly sophisticated electronic machinery it may not be the most sensible thing to have those patients and that equipment deluged with water."

He said they are currently undergoing an appraisal with various authorities and said they would change their decision if recommendations change.