Emergency Preparedness

Appendix H.6 – FIRE

Kern Medical Emergency Preparedness

FIRE DISASTER (INTERNAL) • PURPOSE: Provide procedures and minimize risks to patients, staff, and others coming to the hospital’s facilities during a fire. • POLICY STATEMENT: It is the policy of Kern Medical to provide guidelines for hospital personnel to follow during a Code Red. To have an organized and effective response to a fire within Kern Medical occupied buildings. Providing for the safety of patients, visitors, employees, staff, and other occupants of the building in a fire situation is the primary goal. • PROCEDURE: If you case of a FIRE call 5# and give the name, department, and location.  The basis of a CODE RED is a four-step procedure RACE :  Rescue, Relocate : Escort anyone in immediate danger of fire or smoke to a place of safety.  Alarm : Go to the nearest red fire alarm pull station and activate the alarm by pulling down the handle.  Confine, Contain : Close all doors in the fire area as you leave the room. This will confine the fire and smoke in the area, which will allow you to safely evacuate.  Extinguish : If the fire is small attempt to extinguish the fire with a fire extinguish. If necessary, begin evacuation of the area.  General instructions during a CODE RED :  Close all doors leading into the corridor (patients' rooms, treatment rooms, offices, nurse’s stations, etc.).  Station someone at elevators, stairwell doors and fire doors to prevent movement of personnel, patients, and visitors in the hallways.  Prepare to safely evacuate the area. • ALARM ACTIVATION: When a fire alarm device is activated, the alarm will sound, strobe lights will activate, fire doors will close automatically and an audible message will be given overhead announcing the location of the device that is activated. Note: Fire Response Team will report to the area to verify it is a fire.

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