![]() Fire alarm activation, unless announced test.The hospital fire response plan should be enacted in situations of: When is the Hospital Fire Response Plan Used? Staff should be trained in each of these areas, and have their knowledge tested with regular but varied fire drills. What’s in a Hospital Fire Response Plan?Ī hospital fire response plan will include a general plan to move patients and staff to safety as well as specific information that is directly related to the facility structure, staff roles, and more.Įvery hospital should have a written fire response plan that includes when and how to sound and report fire alarms, how to contain smoke and fire, how to use a fire extinguisher, and how to evacuate areas of refuge. Practiced adherence to the fire response plan in the form of fire drills ensures staff are confident in the event of a fire and can remove patients from harm’s way and manage the situation effectively.ĭuring a fire drill, hospital staff must enact the fire response plan as if a real fire threat is present. Hospitals don’t require full evacuation due to the size and nature of the facility, as well as the safety of the patients and staff, but there are many other protocols that determine where patients, visitors, staff, and other occupants in hospitals are supposed to go - or not go - during a fire emergency. All drills and critiques must be documented. If possible, move resident charts with the resident.The Joint Commission Environment of Care standard EC.02.03.03 requires hospitals to conduct regular, varied fire drills, and to routinely evaluate the effectiveness of the procedure, fire safety equipment, building features, and staff response.Evacuate people closest to danger first, then ambulatory residents, followed by non-ambulatory residents, and lastly, critical residents on life support (because they are not in immediate danger and will need more time and care).Never use elevators to evacuate a fire area.It is important for staff to remember the following: It is crucial to ensure that all staff members are properly equipped with the right PPE to protect them from the dangers of a fire. The importance of Personal Protective Equipment ( PPE) for staff during a fire cannot be overstated. If there is continued danger from smoke or fire, they should next initiate a vertical evacuation by moving residents down the stairs to a lower level of safety and ultimately out of the building. To do this, they should first initiate a horizontal evacuation by moving residents down the corridor, through at least one set of fire doors to a safe area. Staff members should be prepared, so if there is danger from smoke or fire in their immediate work area, they should evacuate that smoke compartment. If the fire cannot be extinguished, staff should immediately leave, close-off the area, and let the fire department put it out. The rescuing of those in immediate danger, sounding the alarm, and confining fire and smoke should be concurrently accomplished by sufficient numbers of other staff members. Staff should attempt to extinguish only small, contained fires (no larger than a waste basket) where their safety is assured, they have an escape route behind them, and other staff members are available to assist. S – Sweep from side to side, covering the fire. ![]() P – Pull the pin in the nozzle of the extinguisher Ī – Aim the nozzle at the base of the fire Elderly people are especially susceptible to smoke inhalation, which is the primary killer in a fire.įortunately, all fire extinguishers operate in the same way, which can easily be remembered with another acronym: Rescuing residents is every healthcare worker’s primary concern, and it is always the first step because a fire can quickly escalate with lethal results. (R) Rescue – Remove residents and individuals in danger of immediate harm by assisting them from the room and closing the door. Let us discuss the acronym more in-depth: E – EXTINGUISH/EVACUATE: Try to extinguish the fire using appropriate firefighting equipment only if you are trained and it is safe to do so.C – CONFINE/CONTAIN: If practicable, close all doors and windows to contain the fire (only if it safe to do so).A – ALARM/ALERT: Pull the nearest alarm and/or call emergency numbers.If a fire occurred in a patient room, the staff should immediately remove the patient from the area. R – RESCUE/REMOVE: Remove everyone from the area.The health facility like any other facility is not exonerated from fire incidents, that is why a concrete fire emergency plan must be in place to fight fire or reduce it effects. It is an acronym that hospital personnel use mostly to remember their duties in case of fire.
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