RACE, PASS and the Hazards Hiding in Plain Sight

🧠 Why it matters

In a fire, RACE: RESCUE anyone in immediate danger, ACTIVATE the alarm, CONFINE the fire by closing doors and windows and shutting off oxygen as directed, and EXTINGUISH if small or EVACUATE, moving the most mobile clients first (ambulatory, then wheelchair, then bedbound) horizontally away from the fire before considering stairs. Use an extinguisher with PASS: PULL the pin, AIM at the base, SQUEEZE the handle, SWEEP side to side. Never use elevators. OXYGEN supports combustion: no smoking or open flames, no petroleum-based products near oxygen, and 'oxygen in use' signs. ELECTRICAL safety: remove equipment with frayed cords or that gives a shock, use grounded three-prong plugs, and keep electrical devices away from water. HAZARDOUS SPILLS: consult the safety data sheet, isolate the area and use the spill kit. For a client with a potential bomb threat, violent visitor or hazardous exposure, the sequence is always remove people from danger first, then contain, then report.

🏥 In the real world

🚨 A wastebasket fire starts in a client's room. The nurse wheels the client into the hall, pulls the alarm, closes the door, and only then returns with the extinguisher for a fire that is still small. Reverse that order and the nurse is fighting a fire while a client sits in the smoke.

📌 Takeaways

• Rescue, Alarm, Confine, Extinguish or Evacuate
• Pull, Aim at the base, Squeeze, Sweep
• Move ambulatory clients first in an evacuation; never use elevators

✅ Test yourself