One of the significant components of healthcare facility management is to create a reliable fire safety system. To keep the patients safe from any harm, healthcare professionals work hard to ensure there is no room for error. Keeping up with the proper fire safety means understanding guidelines for hospitals and regular fire safety training for hospital staff. To cater to the various potential emergencies and avoid an incident, it is necessary to create a pre-prepared plan and share it with the staff. Here are some core strategies to ensure fire safety in the healthcare facility:
Develop an Action Plan
Creating a proper action plan is vital for the safe preservation of patients and the property. Healthcare facility managers are the ones responsible for distributing and teaching a fire safety plan in case of an emergency. One of the most popular tools that can be implemented is the RACE method.
Rescue: Rescue any patient that is in or on the brink of danger.
Alarm: Raise a fire alarm immediately if you see a fire or respond quickly when you hear one.
Confine: By closing the doors and hallways, try to confine the fire to a specific location.
Extinguish: If a small fire is visible, use a fire extinguisher to douse it immediately. However, leave the big fires for the department to handle.
Routinely Check Electrical Outlets and Wires
Every hospital employs various kinds of outlets and power appliances through which electricity runs all over. Though they are typically not a risk, electricity has caused major fires, owing to faulty equipment or improper connections. Hence, it is important to check the facility’s electrical setup on a timely basis. Avoid using cord or multi-plug adaptors permanently as they run the risk of overloading the outlet. Think of them as a temporary solution, instead rely on installing the appliance near an outlet.
Regularly check fire suppressant systems
Installing an alarm and fire suppressants are considered the best ways to ensure small fires do not turn into large emergencies, hence, regularly service them. Make sure to set up different kinds of alarm systems in the facility, such as fire alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, smoke alarms, etc. These systems can play a huge role in alerting and helping out to quickly suppress any fire hazard.
A good way to train the staff is to reach out to Consortium of Accredited Healthcare Organisations (CAHO), which is a recognised non-profit organisation aiming to improve healthcare quality. With programmes such as fire safety training for hospital staff, basic nursing communication, communication skills for the healthcare professional, etc., they work to improve the quality and safety of healthcare services provided across the country. Facility managers must do everything in their power to keep the staff fully trained and aware of the responsibilities. With training and constant monitoring, every healthcare facility should be ready to monitor fire threats.
Healthcare Organisations in India 