2. Premises
• This information covers fire safety for healthcare
premises
• All our premises have similar fire procedures
3. Fire safety is about action and reaction
Action includes:
•Fire alarms
•Raising the alarms
•Discovering a fire
4. Reaction includes:
•Fire protection systems
•Alarm systems
•Emergency lighting
•Signage
•Barrier protection form fire doors
•Knowledge of various safe escape routes and
how long it takes
5. Alarms
Hospitals have two distinctive alarm sounds:
•Continuous alarm sound
•Intermittent alarm sound
6. What does a continuous alarm sound
mean?
There maybe a problem with where you are
Reaction
This will depend upon if you are in a patient care
area where patients need to be evacuated.
In some areas you may only need to leave by the
nearest safe escape route
7. What does an intermittent alarm sound
mean?
There maybe a problem in an adjacent area
Reaction
This could be a pre warning of potential problems.
It is telling you to investigate to determine if you
need to take action
8. James Cook & The Friarage Hospital
When a single detector activates at JCUH or FHN
there is a 4 minute delay procedure before the fire
brigade are called
This allows staff to confirm a genuine fire incident
This limits the occasions fire services have to
attend subsequently not draining their resources
9. False alarm causes
• Patient/visitor/accidental actuation of a manual
control point
• Use of aerosols
• Cooking, microwaves or toasters
• Unknown or system faults
All these have a serious impact on hospital
procedures
11. Discovering a fire in your area
• Shout fire and activate the manual
break glass point
12. Fire doors
• Always obey fire door instructions such as keep
shut or locked
• Break the building up into boxes or
compartments to stop the spread of fire
• Morally and legally wrong to wedge
open fire doors
13. Remove the door wedge
• Ensure all internal and external
doors are kept clear
• Inappropriate placed materials
can encourage arsonists
14. Medical gasses
• Good management is extremely important such
as medical oxygen
• Possibility of explosion if not managed well
15. Oxygen shut off
All relevant staff should be aware of pipe oxygen
cut off valves and to inform the fire and rescue
service if requested
16. Patient evacuation
• It is a last resort to evacuate patients downstairs
or out of a building
• Utilising the practice of moving patients
progressively and horizontally from an area of
danger to an area of relative safety is an
effective method of evacuation. Move to an
area preferably through two fire doors but
always be aware you may need to move again
17. Escape routes
• All staff at all times must be aware of all possible
escape routes for own safety and patient safety
• Never use lifts when hearing the fire alarm. Lifts
can become stuck or you could end up on a fire
floor
18. Proving information
• It is essential to provide correct information or
pass any information to the emergency services
in emergency situations
19. To raise the alarm
• Where ever you are working within JCUH or
FHN the emergency number to raise the fire
alarm is 4444
20. First aid fire appliances
Be aware of the
limitations using
the correct one
and only use if
trained
21. Responsibility
• Fire safety is the responsibility of everyone
• Know your local procedures
• Know what safety facilities are in your area
• Always know your escape routes and keep them
clear
• Practice good housekeeping and managing of
ignition sources
