Ignorant Visitors

[Huganurse]

Last night we had a fire alarm. Full bells and lights flashing. Firemen coming into the building. This was not a drill and we could not find a fire and thought it might be in the ceiling or roof. It ended up being a false alarm but it could have been for real. The problem was that I had some family members try to leave the patients room during the alarm. I told them they needed to stay in the room with the door closed and that I would come get them and the patient for evacuation if it turned out to be that we had a fire or I would let them know when the "all clear" came. They proceded to get upset and let me know that they had just arrived to the building and were walking around wherever they wanted. They came into to the building despite alarms ringing, flashing lights, and FD present. They told me that the fire trucks came whizzing by them on the road and saw them come into the front door.

God Bless America and Everyone.

[meownsmile, BSN, RN]

I think what you have described is another example of complacency of our general population. We have been so sensitized to performing tests of the "system" that we begin to believe that it isnt any more than that. Kind of like people who come flying out of their homes when tornado sirens sound to see if they can see it coming down the road. But maybe that needs to be addressed at your next safety procedure meeting. Find out when it is and make it a point of reserving a few minutes of their time to address it. It will force them to address it because it will be in the official minutes of the meeting.

Ask them why the fire department or your own hospitals security allow visitors to enter the building when there is an alarm going off.

[Chuckie]

We

[KRVRN, BSN, RN]

I have to agree, it is a little loony to enter a building that had a fire alarm sounding (esp after seeing fire trucks outside). Did they come in to see if their loved one was okay? Maybe, maybe not...some people really ARE stupid. But you do have to consider that some either were already in the building or came in unknowing.

I just have to comment that if I were in a building that had a fire alarm sounding--and I believed it was real and that I was in danger--no one is going to tell me to go back in some room. Goes against what we've all ever heard about what to do in a fire.

We're the knowledgeable ones. We know that in a hospital with its multitude of doors (that I'm sure were all closed) you probably ARE safer staying in the room if there's not a fire close. The public doesn't know that. Before working at a hospital it wouldn't have occurred to ME to stay in my loved one's room (and not evacuate), so it's not surprising that they didn't either.

But I do realize there are stupid people out there and I'm sure some of those family members in the halls were being nosy.