1 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J U N E 2 0 1 9
I
've conducted more than 1,000
fire drills at surgery centers.
OR staff make the same 4 mis-
takes when trying to extinguish a
simulated fire. These simple errors
can lead to serious injury or even
loss of life for your patients and
staff.
My fire drills are as realistic as
they come. I use a $16,000 digital
fire extinguisher training system to
simulate fire conditions. We can
display fires at varying levels of dif-
ficulty and intensity, with authentic sound, on a 24-inch LED monitor.
When you pull the pin and lock to activate the laser-driven infrared
dry chemical extinguisher, it emits a realistic-sounding discharge. You
have to sweep the extinguisher slowly, or else the "fire" doesn't go
out.
Because of the simulator's small size, I'm able to use it for every fire
drill by placing it in utility rooms, patient care areas, administrative
areas and break rooms. I'll position the simulator's extinguisher near
the closest real extinguisher. Once all the parts are in place, I'll call
the code and the drill begins. Invariably, I'll see these 4 mistakes:
Failing to contain the fire area. I frequently place fires in rooms
with doors that aren't equipped with self-closing hardware
(break rooms, for example), or in rooms with a door that's held open
1
4 Common Firefighting Mistakes OR Staff Make
Lessons learned from 1,000 fire drills I've conducted in surgical facilities.
Safety
Anthony Riehl, CFI, CESI
• FIRE EXTINGUISHER IN-SERVICES OR nurses undergo
extinguisher training using a fire simulator.
Anthony
Riehl,
CFI,
CESI