Now you are part of our team let
us put you in the picture about
Fire Safety
here at The Royal Bournemouth and
Christchurch Hospitals
NHS Foundation Trust
Mike Penfold
Fire Safety Advisor
Ext. 5785
Author: Bob Hookway, Fire Safety Officer,
Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust.
MPI Ref: 05/238
Don't forget to answer the
questions on page 11
Fire? Do something about it
Fire look for the signs.
Staff action procedure.
If you see, smell or think there is a fire, there probably is one!
It's up to you to do the right thing. You will not be told off if it turns out to be a false
alarm with good intent (i.e. you break the glass because you think you have
discovered a fire.)
At fire exits
On fire doors
Procedure
1 Get out and close the door behind you
This will keep smoke in the room on fire, and eventually, after using up all of
the oxygen, may put out the fire completely.
Do not open the door once you have closed it.
2
Raise the alarm!
Break the glass on a fire alarm call point.
Ring the switchboard on 2222. Inform them of the exact location of the fire.
3
Move people to safety
Get them to walk if they can.
Use wheels if they need help.
Push them on their bed if you have to!
Just get them out!
At call points
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5
Tackle the fire if safe to do so
Keep calm.
Do not go back into a room where you
have closed the door.
Remember where the extinguishers are.
Pull the pin, take aim and squeeze the
handles.
Go to the fire assembly point (refuge)
Move quickly and quietly.
Reassure others.
Be ready to help when needed.
Do as directed by your Clinical
Leader/Manager or Staff Nurse in Charge.
Remember….. If there is a fire, it will take the
Fire and Rescue service at least 4 minutes to arrive!
2
At some fire
extinguisher points
NOW YOU ARE PART OF OUR TEAM
Complete the following the next time you are in your Ward or Department.
1. The nearest fire alarm call point to where I work is at
2. The nearest fire extinguisher to where I work is at
3. A continuous sounding fire alarm means
4. An intermittent (short bursts) fire alarm means
5. If I have to evacuate this area, my escape route is
6. My assembly point (refuge) is at
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Fire - How to help people evacuate quickly and safely
Here are a few facts….
The chances are you will never have to evacuate to a place of safety where you
work, but just in case, here are some tips1 Act confidently!
The patients and visitors won't know you have not done this for real before.
Speak clearly people will have difficulty hearing you when the fire alarms are
sounding! Point to the fire exit doors.
The Trust is one of the largest employers in Bournemouth.
We are open 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
2
Encourage people to evacuate the area.
Each Ward/ Department will have their own evacuation procedure. Ensure you
are fully aware of the evacuation procedure.
Get them to walk if they can. They may need a walking aid (stick, crutches or
zimmer).
Do not rush them, encourage them to move purposefully.
For those who can't walk, get them on wheels : beds, trolleys, wheelchairs,
commodes, office chairs etc.
Remember it is easier to push people on wheels than to drag them on a
mattress.
If using a bed, remember in an emergency more than one person can travel
on a bed.
We have two main sites at Bournemouth and Christchurch. Our grounds are
extensive and include both buildings and gardens.
There are hundreds of rooms spread out on many levels, so there are plenty of stairs
and lifts!
With 890 beds, the hospitals are always busy
with:
Patients
Visitors
Staff
Contractors and Volunteers
The hospital has shops, restaurants, power
plants, workshops and much more but, there
is no fire station here and there are some very
busy approach roads outside.
Study the diagram, you might have to tackle a
small fire yourself
Pin, Aim,
Squeeze
and Sweep
Fire - What’s the problem
Working in a hospital can be both enjoyable and rewarding, but for many people a
visit to the hospital is very worrying. This also applies to people who come in as Out
Patients or who attend for day case surgery or examinations. For those who are
going to spend some time as an inpatient they will have real concerns about their
homes, their families and their jobs.
They might also be worried about
How long they are in for?
What they are in for?
Who will look after them, here
and when they return home?
Notes
When evacuating patients on beds: at the assembly point, park the bed
close to the wall, well away from fire doors
And, Don't forget to put the brakes on!
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The last thing they need to worry about is fire - they will leave that worry to you! It is
therefore important to always act calmly and provide reassurance.
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Fire - So what can you do about it?
Fire help is at hand
Don't worry! Talk to your manager or workmates, they will tell you about the fire
procedures and fire precautions in your area. You will also receive fire safety
information as part of your formal induction training.
Which includes1 What to do in case of fire.
2. How to use fire extinguishers and know where they are kept.
3. Where the fire exits and alarm call points are.
4. How to evacuate an area. Never use the lift.
Fire precautions around the Hospitals
Notes
Attend annual fire safety training - they are for your own safety
Ask questions about fire safety where you work everyone will be pleased to help
When our hospitals were built and during every upgrade, the architects, builders,
staff from the Trust and Fire and Rescue services meet to implement the required
regulations to improve Fire Safety.
Areas looked at and improved includeFire doors
Designed to hold fire and smoke back between 30/60 minutes. (On main
routes, fire doors are of 60 minutes fire resistance, others are mainly 30
minutes).
Escape routes
Corridors leading to fire exits.
Fire - What to do when you hear the fire alarm sounding!
Wherever you are, and whatever you are doing in the Hospital when the fire alarms
sound, you must know what to do. You need to know that there are two different fire
alarm sounds:
Continuous means the fire is in your area.
Intermittent or short bursts, means the fire is nearby.
throughout the Hospital (or building that you are in).
The alarms will sound
If the continuous fire alarms sound.
1 Stop what you are doing
unless you are lifesaving (CPR etc).
2
Make safe any machine you are using
consider switching off at mains if
safe or practicable to do so.
3
Do exactly what you are told
by person in charge of your ward/
department at the time or by the
Fire and Rescue Service.
Fire exits
Doors out to fresh air, always accessible 24 hours a day.
Smoke and Heat Detectors
Linked to the fire alarm systems in the switchboard.
Fire alarm call points (lots of them)
Usually on escape routes, all clearly marked with signs. All of the break glass
type.
Find out where yours are.
Emergency lighting.
To light escape routes if there is a power failure.
If the intermittent or short burst alarms sound - Get ready in case the fire alarm
sound changes to continuous!
You are getting an early warning of a problem nearby.
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Fire - How you can prevent it
Fire - Help is at hand
Notice Boards in wards and departments should be checked to ensure information on
them is up to date. Paper on boards that is not useful is just more material to burn.
Help reduce the risk of fire by keeping notice boards tidy.
Fire extinguishers are never far away
Fire is no accident. It happens because people are careless and do not think of
the consequences of their actions, or set fires deliberately. Whatever the cause,
fire can cost lives, may cost jobs and will cost all of us, through taxes and
insurance.
When it comes to fire- everyone is a loser!
You can help prevent fires from starting by taking care
And tidying up where you work
Check around
1
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Smoking The Trust is a Smoke Free
Hospital. So we must enforce it.
2
Electrical items
Check that they
have passed the Trust safety test and
have been labelled. Check that
electrical wiring is well maintained.
Check that sockets are not overloaded.
3
Flammable liquids These should be
treated with care at all times. Keep
them in the special stores and take out
only exactly what you need, and when
you need it.
Water
WATER WATER WATER
CO²
AFFF
CO2 CO2
Chubb
FOAM
Great care needs to be taken with oxygen make sure you keep it away from fire and
from anything which may cause a fire. Materials kept near oxygen could be
dangerous. The oxygen can fill them up and if a spark or cigarettes are nearby they
could burst into flames.
There are three types of fire extinguishers which
are mainly in use.
Carbon Dioxide (CO²), a gas which smothers fires
mainly used on electrical fires
A water extinguisher that can be used on wood,
paper, textiles
AFFF Foam extinguisher which can be used on
wood,paper,textiles and flammable liquids
WATER
Oxygen is used to treat some patients to speed their recovery. Oxygen can assist a
fire to burn brightly and much hotter than usual. It can turn spark into a flame instantly!
Patients wear an oxygen mask that is connected by a tube to the piped oxygen supply
in wards and theatres. Other patients get their oxygen through masks and tubes
connected to cylinders (painted black body and a white neck).
The Trust has over 500 fire extinguishers positioned around the Hospitals to deal
with a fire quickly.
You will never be far away from a fire extinguisher, no matter where you are.
All extinguishers are painted with their respective
distinguishing colours.
Make sure you know where your extinguishers
are!
What happens when the fire alarm sounds
Smoke and heat detectors operate day and night to make sure that any fire is
spotted as soon as possible. When they sense there is danger they automatically1 Sound the fire alarm constant ringing in the area of fire
intermittent ringing in other areas/adjacent zones
2
Close corridor fire doors, watch out for them closing, they are heavy!
3
Inform the switchboard there is a problem, by dialling 2222.
Switchboard thenCalls Fire and Rescue Service
Alerts the Trust Fire Response Team (site manager, engineers, porters, etc.)
Will send other people and resources as they are needed
You may have found the fire and broken the call point glass BUT
You MUST ring 2222 and inform the switchboard of the exact location of the fire.
Remember : Fire
If you think there is a fire, raise the alarm!
The problem is ours for the first four minutes.
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Fire - How you can prevent it
Fire - How you can keep people safe
Causes of fire are sometimes less obvious because we become complacent
Fires can happen in some unusual places
Store rooms
Linen cupboards
Waste collection points
Or those unofficial smoking places!
Reducing stocks and emptying bins more often helps reduce the chances of fire
1
Understand that we are in this together. Fire safety affects all of us.
2
Fire - even a small one, will disrupt our work and cause stress to visitors,
patients etc. A larger one may mean people have to go elsewhere to get treated,
or reduce the available bed space.
3
Nearly all fires can be prevented. Often it is people that cause fires.
Convince them about fire safety and fires will rarely happen.
4
Read your fire procedure: Do you know what to do in the event of a fire? It will be
difficult finding out what to do during a fire, you should already know.
5
Check your escape routes on a
regular basis (everyday).
Make sure they are clear all of
the time, you never know when
you will need them in an
emergency. Some people using
the routes will be using walking
aids or will be in beds - they will
need extra space if they are to get
out safely. People will be stressed
and any obstacle will increase the
risk of falls.
You should also check
1
Heaters, lamps, cookers and hot
surfaces
Make sure they are kept clear of
papers, towels and other linen
Don't forget to check beds and
furniture they should not be close to
things that can cause them to catch fire.
2
Aerosols
Treated properly these do not cause
problems. Most have warnings on
them such as 'flammable/inflammable' or
‘Keep away from heat and flames'
Lessen the risk by reducing numbers in
stock and ensure they are stored properly
3
Stockroom storage
Think how you store items. Too much, too
many, increases fire risks.
Keep stocks of bandages etc, especially
flammable items sealed in their
boxes until they are needed - they are
much safer kept that way.
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FIRE!
Fire prevention is everyone's responsibility.
Workplaces should not be a source of danger to either patients, staff or
visitors.
Keeping areas clean and tidy is never easy.
Demands on time, effort and storage are never ending.
But the alternative could be...
ALL flammable items MUST be locked away in METAL or APPROVED cupboards.
If you are unsure, then contact the Fire Safety Advisor.
DISASTROUS
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