by a door stop. It's in these rooms that the first mistake most often
occurs: failing to contain the fire area by closing as many doors
between the fire and life as possible.
Once the fire simulator is started, the staff member that spots the
"flames" will go to the closest phone to call the code, then find the clos-
est fire extinguisher and return to the room to attempt extinguishment.
What did she forget? Confine? It's the third letter in the fire algorithm
R.A.C.E. (rescue, alarm, contain, extinguish), but closing the door to the
fire area is the first action you must take. By leaving the door open,
you're not only letting the products of combustion spread throughout
the facility, you're also giving the fire plenty of air to grow and spread.
Now, let's place the fire in a room with a door that's equipped with self-
closing hardware and held open with a door stop. You can see the glow
of the fire under the door and hear the crackle in the OR corridor. A
nearby staff member turning over a room in preparation for the next
case sees the fire, kicks out the door stop, goes to the nearest phone,
calls the code, then retrieves the nearest extinguisher and heads back to
the fire room. Upon her return, she swings the door open and enters
while the door behind her closes. As you'll see, this is a huge problem
that will yield very serious consequences.
Never enter a fire area before checking the door for heat.
Doors in most healthcare occupancies are built of 1¾-inch solid
bonded wood core construction. These doors hold a tremendous
amount of heat and smoke, but you wouldn't know the conditions
that lurk within from the exterior.
A sure way to check a door for heat is by using the back of your
hand on the door knob. Door hardware is made of metal, which is an
excellent conductor of heat. Don't rush and grab the door knob in
haste. If it's hot, you may feel the heat radiating from the metal before
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