Did you know? "Code Brown" means tornado. . .LMAO!

[delphine22]

So we all have these color codes, and in both hospitals I work at they are printed on a buddy badge that hangs behind my ID badge.

We all know Code Blue, Code Red for fire, Code Green for mass casualty, etc.

At both my hospitals Code Purple means natural disaster. At one hospital, this includes weather events. At my other one, I recently attended orientation, and the safety officer (not a medical person) described another color, Code Brown, for tornado.

"I think it's a shame," he said to the group, half of which were RNs and CNAs, "that these colors aren't standardized around the state and the nation, so there's no confusion."

Oh, there's no confusion, all right. We allllll know what Code Brown means. I can only imagine what would happen if they announced that on the overhead page.

(Special note: I'm in a state well known for hurricanes, but rarely tornadoes. Perhaps the new owner of this facility is based in a tornado state, and the very thought of a twister causes them to have a. . .well. . .Code Brown.)

[icuRNmaggie, BSN, RN]

Up north we call it poopfest 2014.

Seriously for safety there should be a national standard for these Emergency codes. They are different everywhere that I go.

[HikingEDRN, BSN, RN]

I used to work PRN at a hospital that had a Code Brown. Are you ready for this? Code Brown meant bomb threat - I would have snapped a picture of the back of my badge to prove it but I had to turn it in when I resigned that job before I started graduate school.

[HikingEDRN, BSN, RN]

Seriously for safety there should be a national standard for these Emergency codes. They are different everywhere that I go.

Agreed.

[icuRNmaggie, BSN, RN]

oops accidental double post

[Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN]

My hospital uses Code Brown for a toxic spill. Seriously.

[delphine22]

And there need to be fewer. Code White is hostage but Code Silver is active shooter? Can we just have one code (Code Charcoal?) for "person with weapon threatening people"? Waiting for codes Puce and Chartreuse....

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

How about standardized colors for the various armbands as well? We've gotten some transfers from other facilities with one color band that to their hospital is limb alert (don't use for bp, IV, etc) whereas our band with that color is latex allergy.

And there need to be fewer. Code White is hostage but Code Silver is active shooter? Can we just have one code (Code Charcoal?) for "person with weapon threatening people"? Waiting for codes Puce and Chartreuse....

how about crimson? Red was taken for fire, so that's our postpartum hemorrhage code.

[delphine22]

how about crimson? Red was taken for fire, so that's our postpartum hemorrhage code.

OMG. Not only is that confusing, it's in poor taste!

I had a big argument with a pt who refused to take off one of those rubber bracelets -- like the LiveStrong ones, only it was purple -- the exact color of our DNR band. TRIED to explain why, he still wouldn't. Sheesh.

[HikingEDRN, BSN, RN]

My hospital uses Code Brown for a toxic spill. Seriously.

At least the people assigning the codes appear to have a sense of humor.

[jadelpn, LPN, EMT-B]

My hospital uses Code Brown for a toxic spill. Seriously.

Well, now that could be the politically correct way of saying it.....

[runnergirl86, BSN, MSN]

The hospital where I'm currently stationed has code Brown for inclement weather. However my last station did not have a code Brown. Needless to say the color codes aren't even uniform in the military.