This document provides an inservice training on fire safety procedures. It reviews the R.A.C.E. acronym for responding to fires, which stands for rescue, alarm, contain, and extinguish/evacuate. Emergency evacuation procedures are outlined for the Robinwood Medical Center. The emergency code for fire is established as Code Red.

1. FIRE SAFETY
Mandatory Inservice
Effective Date: May 1, 2006
Viewing This Inservice
 For optimal viewing click on the Full Screen Slide
Show button in the lower right corner of your
computer screen.
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2. Program Objectives
 Recall the R.A.C.E. acronym and
definitions.
 Identify procedures to use in the event
of a fire.
 Recall the emergency code for Fire is
Code Red.
 Recall emergency evacuation procedures
to be used at the Robinwood Medical
Center.

3. The information
presented here meets…
 Occupational Safety & Health Administration
(OSHA) safety mandates
 Center for Disease Control (CDC) infection control
standards
 Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare
Organizations (JCAHO) environment of care
requirements, clinical nursing concepts and skills
 Corporate compliance through the Office of the
Inspector General
 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
standards, quality, and customer service

4. Graphic Images
 Graphic images used in this presentation
include the following sources…
 Clip Gallery and Clip Gallery Live, 2006
Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
 LifeART images, copyright 2006, Lippincott,
Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

5. Fire Safety
Is Everyone’s Concern
 Investigate smoke or the
smell of smoke.
 Feel doors with your hand
before opening. Don’t
open if they’re hot.
 If the door is not hot,
open it slowly.
 Rescuing patients/
customers is our top
priority!

6. REMEMBER THE LETTERS
R. A. C. E.
 R - RESCUE
 A - ALARM
 C - CONTAIN
 E - EXTINGUISH or EVACUATE

7. R - RESCUE
 Rescue anyone from IMMEDIATE
danger!
 Patients/customers are the first priority
but staff or visitors may have to be
rescued as well.
 Stay low to the floor to rescue.
 Heat and smoke rise - crawl beneath the
smoke and heat.
 Don’t use elevators!

8. A - ALARM
 Workers on the Hospital and Robinwood
Medical Center campuses will pull the alarm.
 Then, if you’re working at the…
 Hospital – call extension 8122
 Robinwood Medical Center and all other Health
System sites call 911 then call Facilities Engineering
at 301-714-4090 to report the fire.
 Give the location of the fire.
 Always be the last person to hang up in case
more information is needed.
 Don’t yell “fire”, you don’t want to cause a
panic.

9. C – CONTAIN
 Contain the fire!
 Close all doors and windows.
 Fire doors where available will close
automatically after the alarm is pulled.
 Place damp towels under doors to
contain smoke.
 Shut off oxygen if given instructions to
do so.

10. E – EXTINGUISH OR
EVACUATE
 Extinguish the fire, if possible; if not
able to extinguish then evacuate the
area.
 Use the PASS method to extinguish
the fire.
 Pull the pin on the extinguisher.
 Aim the nozzle at the base of the fire.
 Squeeze the handles together.
 Sweep from side to side.
 Be sure to rip off the plastic tag on
the extinguisher before you start.

11. Evacuation Tips
 Evacuate ambulatory patients, visitors, and
customers first.
 Stay calm and give directions clearly to those
you are evacuating.
 If you have fire doors, move evacuees through
the next set of fire doors or work them down to
a lower floor if necessary.
 Never use elevators!!!!!
 Learn techniques to evacuate persons who can’t
walk.

12. Robinwood Medical Center
Evacuation Procedures
 When the fire alarm goes off at the
Robinwood Medical Center…
 Follow the instructions of the Fire
Safety Team wearing red badges.
 Everyone must evacuate the building
(except for designated clinical areas).
 Go to your work area’s assigned Red
Circled F in the Medical Center
parking lot.
 For more information please read your
work area’s copy of the Incident
Command Manual for the Robinwood
Medical Center.

13. Location
 Know the location of the
following in every unit or
department you work in…
 Fire extinguishers
 Fire alarms
 Evacuation plan specific to
the area
 Any other important unit or
department-specific
information

14. Viewing This Inservice
Is Not Enough
 You must actively
participate in fire
drills to practice
exactly what to do in
a fire emergency.
 And so in a real fire
you can act quickly,
minimizing confusion.

15. Fire Drills…
This fire
cone is
used to
initiate
fire drills
by the
hospital

16. The procedure for a fire and
a fire drill are the same…
1. Rescue anyone from immediate
danger.
2. Alarm – pull the alarm if available.
 Then, if you’re working at the…
 Hospital – call extension 8122
 Robinwood Medical Center and all other
Health System sites call 911 then call
Facilities Engineering at 301-714-4090
to report the fire.
3. Contain the fire by closing doors or
windows.
4. Extinguish if possible, or evacuate.

17. Emergency Code Code Red
 The Maryland Department of Health and Mental
Hygiene has adopted regulations requiring all Maryland
hospitals to use a uniform set of emergency security
codes.
 This means the emergency codes will be the same
from one Maryland hospital to another.
 “Red Letter F” will no longer be used.
 Effective November 1, 2004 this new emergency code
will be used by all departments and units on the
hospital campus as well as hospital owned off-sites.
 The new code for Fire will be Code Red.

18. Code Red
Alerting others of a fire...
 On the Hospital Campus Code Red will be
broadcast on the public address (PA) system.
This includes fire drills and real fires.
 Workers at the Robinwood Medical Center should
follow the procedures listed in their Incident
Command Manual.
 For all other Health System sites which do not
have a PA system or central alarm system…
 Follow the fire plan of your unit or department, noting
how others will be notified of the fire, evacuation
procedures, etc.

19. When a fire is announced…
 On the Hospital Campus, all staff should
remain at their current locations until the “All
Clear” is announced.
 Do not attempt to return to your
unit/department, moving through fire doors
or using elevators.
 Exceptions:
 Specific individuals may be paged to return as
situation may require via stairs or as directed.
 Patients in transit should be returned to their
rooms or treatment area, whichever does not
involve the use of elevators, or diverted to the
nearest patient holding area.

20. The fire safety procedures that
you’ve learned in this inservice...
 Are to be followed WHENEVER there is a fire.
 By following these procedures during a fire drill
you practice the appropriate procedure.
 Then, if a real fire does occur, the correct
responses take over and you do not have to try
to remember what to do first or what phone
number to call.
 Practice does make perfect!!!!!

21. Fire Safety is Everyone’s
Concern!
 Remember the R.A.C.E.
acronym.
 Know where alarms and
extinguishers are located.
 Know what is expected of you
in your unit or department.
 Participate in fire drills.
 Remember the emergency
code for Fire is Code Red.
 Know the procedures to be Code Red
used at the Robinwood
Medical Center.

22. Uniform Emergency Codes
 The Maryland Department of
Health and Mental Hygiene
has adopted regulations
requiring all Maryland hospitals
to use a uniform set of
emergency security codes.
 This means the emergency
codes will be the same from one
hospital to another.
 Effective November 1, 2004
these codes will be used by all
departments and units on the
hospital campus as well as
hospital owned off-sites.

23. Now, it’s time to see
what you learned!
 Copies of the Fire Safety post test can
be found on…
 The WCHS Intranet, WCHS
Inservices page.
 Or, in the Meditech Library,
Human Resource Development
cabinet, Mandatory Inservices Info
drawer.
 Read the questions and circle the
correct answers on your paper copy.
 Give your completed post test to the
designated person in your unit or
department.

24. To Exit This Inservice…
 Press the escape key on your
keyboard.
 Click on the back button in the upper
left corner of your computer screen to
return to WCHS Inservices page.