WHAT IS CODE RED(FIRE)?.

Code Red simply means that there is fire.

All the hospital Emergency codes are color coded.And each facility is different from the other and some are similar. For example code Red is color RED in all hospitals.

Each hospital has codes that are use to identify a situation. And all the hospital staff know the meaning of every code.They respond when the alarm sounds. As a new nurse today is your first day at work. As soon as you walked into the nursing station the fire alarm ran.What will you do as a Registered Nurse. It is very important for you as a Registered nurse to know the fire alarm pull stations, the evacuation route ,fire extinguishers in your work areas. Understand the maps for evacuation. Most of the time from my experience it is around the elevator areas.But remember that you will not evacuate through the elevator.

Code Red means that there is fire somewhere in the hospital. So if you see fire you must follow the hospital policy and implement R.A.C.E.Which stands for:

Rescue = Remove people (patients and visitors out of the room)

A = Activate the alarm. That is you pull the closest fire alarm near you. Make the call to the right number. Example 22233.Operator will answer you describe the fire location vividly.

C = Confine the fire.That is limit the spread of the fire by closing doors and also cover the trash cans.

E= Extinguishing the fire .That is stop the fire from burning, quench the fire.If it is safe you can evacuate.

HOW DO YOU EXTINGUISE THE FIRE.

You use the acronym P.A.S.S.Which means

Pull ,Aim,Squeeze, Sweep. Simply put,you hold the fire extinguisher, pull the pin near the handle. You aim the nozzle at the base of the fire to get rid of the fire.You squeeze the handle and sweep the nozzle all over the fire.The first time that I did it as a new nurse I was afraid .But with time it became easier. Moreover we don’t have fire often. But we have fire training frequently.