RACE Against a Fire with a Solid Plan

Does your emergency plan have a section for fire? (…)
Fire is one of those disasters that we plan for well. From an early age, children are taught to evacuate during school fire drills. They’re taught how to test the heat from a fire on the door, to stay low, and to call 9-1-1 in an emergency.
 
 
But there is a gap in fire prevention and training that occurs somewhere between elementary school and entering the professional workplace. For those who work in emergency services and health care, there is even less fire training, as they already ‘know’ how to handle those situations. This is when trouble starts.
 
 
Does your emergency plan have a section for fire? Have you talked to your local fire department and dispatch about the fire alarms, procedures, and internal plans you have made? If you even hesitated to answer yes to all of these questions, get a pen and paper and then call your fire chief. Waiting until tomorrow could prove to be too late.
 

Things to Consider

We know you have evacuation routes and plans posted in every room and hallway of your hospital. You’ve probably even practiced a few times, and you’ve definitely trained all new staff in the procedures. The unknown patient reactions are just something that comes with the territory because the turnover means you can’t practice with them.
 
 
So, you have an evacuation plan. Let’s talk about the other things you need to consider.
 

Rescue

How is the rescue going to work? Who is in charge? Who gets evacuated first? What equipment do you need to move patients? How are you tracking patients as they are being moved? Everyone needs to know what is expected of them, and practicing this rescue, even on paper with your local fire department will ensure that the plan is effective.
 

Alarm

Does your alarm work? How is it activated? Be redundant here. Have flashing lights, sounds, something over the PA system. Have nurses and orderlies tell each patient was is going on as they are being evacuated. Alert everyone and keep alerting them until everyone is out.
 

Confine

Most hospitals have fire doors, know where they are and how they can be effective. Talk to the Incident Commander about utilizing them. After everyone is out, closing doors can be extremely effective in confining the fire.
 

Extinguish

Luckily this is not your job as a hospital. Of course, if you can use a nearby fire extinguisher to put out a small fire, you should try. But don’t lock yourself into a corner in an attempt to put out a fire. Better to evacuate with patients and leave the rest to the fire department.
 
 
Teamwork is a valuable part of every emergency response plan. Only a fool would write a fire safety plan without talking to the fire department first.
 
 
Contact us to learn more about evaluating your plan for fire safety, and other healthcare preparedness steps, by clicking on the chat box on bottom right of this page or contacting us today.
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