Fire!

[nightmare, RN]

To all of you that work in LTC or Nursing Homes.When there is only a limited number of staff in a facility,specifically at night when there is only perhaps 4-5 staff to 50-60 residents,what are you instructions in the event of a fire? Are you supposed to evacuate them with this number of staff or what?

[lpn1313]

WE evacuate above, below, and next to fire location. Then we sit behind the eight hour fire proof doors for the fire dept. to get there from down the street. Probably the only thing the builders did right with our building was to make it very easy to safely contain a fire.

[nightmare, RN]

WE evacuate above, below, and next to fire location. Then we sit behind the eight hour fire proof doors for the fire dept. to get there from down the street. Probably the only thing the builders did right with our building was to make it very easy to safely contain a fire.

Our fire doors are only one hour doors! It takes the Fire Brigade at least 10-15 minutes to reach us.It's a very scary thought having to evacuate with only three of us in the building.

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

Our fire doors are only one hour doors! It takes the Fire Brigade at least 10-15 minutes to reach us.It's a very scary thought having to evacuate with only three of us in the building.

Thought UK requirement was longer than 1 hour?

[nightmare, RN]

Well they keep being passed on fire inspections,will check next time I'm there.They are always referred to in the fire lectures we do for staff as 'one hour doors'.

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

Frightening to think minimal staff to vacate patients whilst waiting for the fire brigade. Same can be said on night duty in hospital. I remember a while ago when the expel air vent (electric) in the toilets in the doctors accommodation caught fire which was very close to where I worked and was on nights. Thankfully caught before there was big trouble but could smell the smoke. The hospital received a big fine

[SitcomNurse, BSN, MSN, EdD, RN]

to all of you that work in ltc or nursing homes.when there is only a limited number of staff in a facility,specifically at night when there is only perhaps 4-5 staff to 50-60 residents,what are you instructions in the event of a fire? are you supposed to evacuate them with this number of staff or what?

well, when we had a fire and there were 6 of us for 60 patients, plus 2 floors above us... we evac. our floor, where the fire was directly below us, shut off the main o2 valve, sent patients at 530 am to the mp/gp room, in chairs, gowns, and some in their beds.. the floor above us evac'd to the opposite side of the building. but i say 6 of us to start, which became 5 because the only man on night shift for these 2 units hid in the corner. a nurse on another floor tossed the keys on the desk & said 'g'bye!', and a cna from another floor was left alone in the basement with 4 extinguishers, while everyone else returned to their floor after seeing the fire burning in the laundry area. what do you do? you do the best you can. our instructions are to get on the other side of the fire doors with the patients, treatment and med cart, as well as the charts. thats right!! cant let those valuable charts burn up!!

:typing