Fire/Electrical Safety
Community-Wide Student
Orientation
Reviewed 10/2014
Objectives
 Identify
three elements required for a
fire to burn.
 Recognize importance of fire drills.
 Identify meaning of R.A.C.E and
P.A.S.S.
 Describe flow of energy current.
2
Chemistry of Fire
Fire burns because there are
three elements present...
 Fuel
 Heat
 Oxygen
By removing any one element a fire can
not occur, or a fire will not be able to
sustain combustion.
3
Fire Prevention
Practices...
 Keep
passage ways and exits clear
 Ensure fire extinguishers and fire alarm
pull stations are accessible at all times
 Place trash in proper receptacles
 Ensure that fire doors are not blocked
4
Plan for Fire
Emergencies...
 Read
& understand the fire evacuation
plan for your area
 Know the location of at least two (2)
emergency exits
 Know the location of fire alarm pull
stations and fire extinguishers
 Take part in fire drills
5
Plan for Fire
Emergencies...
 Have
you ever stayed at a hotel? If so, did you
ever take the time to look at the evacuation
plan posted on the inside of the room door?
Think about the following, you are in a new
city for a conference. It is 3 a.m. and you are
awakened from a sound sleep to hear this loud
whistling sound or horn blaring. As you begin
to wake up you smell smoke and suddenly
you are no longer sleepy.
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Plan for Fire
Emergencies...
 You
run to the door, feel it for heat and open
it. The hallway is full of thick black smoke,
and it invades your room and your lungs,
choking you. You fall to the floor and start to
crawl forward looking for the exit signs. Only
you can not see them and you do not know
where the stairs are. And you think to your
self ....... your alarm rings and you wake up, it
was only a dream. But it could happen.
Always be prepared, know your role in the
event of a facility fire and take an active part.
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In Case of Fire...
 Remain
calm. Don’t panic or cause
confusion. NEVER shout fire.
 Proceed safely to nearest fire exit
 Feel surfaces of doors before opening
 Crawl to exit if smoke is present in area
 Follow instructions of Fire Department
 Remember R.A.C.E. and P.A.S.S.
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R.A.C.E. for
Fire Safety...
Rescue
anyone in immediate danger.
Activate
the fire alarm pull station
Contain
the fire
Extinguish
the fire, if your safety can
be assured
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P.A.S.S. for Fire
Extinguisher Use...
Pull
the pin
Aim
at base of the fire
Squeeze the
Sweep
handles together
from side to side
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Classes of Fire
 Class
A - Ordinary combustibles such
as wood, paper, and trash
 Class B - Flammable liquids such as
gasoline, xylene, and alcohol
 Class C - Electrical equipment
Due to the multiple combustibles in the healthcare
environment, they utilize a multiclass fire
extinguisher, or what is termed an ABC class
extinguisher.
11
Fire Drills...
 Conducted
every quarter on every shift in
Hospital
 Respond immediately as if actual fire.
Remember R.A.C.E. and P.A.S.S.
 All corridor fire doors are connected to fire
alarm & detection system and will close
automatically once activated
12
Fire Drills...
 The
corridor fire doors and the room doors are all
rated for a particular time frame that it will take a
fire to burn through them. This is why it is
important to ensure that the fire doors in the
corridors are free to close and that patients and
visitors remain in their rooms with the doors
closed. This provides them an added barrier
between them and the fire, and also greater time for
the fire department to respond and contain without
loss of life.
13
No Smoking
Policy...
 Smoking
by anyone, which includes
patients, visitors, medical staff,
associates, and visitors is prohibited
inside the buildings.
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Electrical Safety Briefing
15
What is Electricity?
A
medium that provides a very
convenient means for transferring energy
from one place to another
 Correctly used, electricity is our most
versatile form of energy
 Control of most electrical hazards is
neither difficult or expensive, but
ignoring them can cause serious
consequences
16
Characteristics of
Electricity...
 Electricity
has most of the
characteristics of water, in that it flows
and has a current that can be measured
17
Electrical Faults Result in
Shock, Burns or Fire...
Flow of Current
 Occurs when a person or a conducting
object bridges the gap between live
conductors and the ground or between
live conductors. This action causes
current to flow.
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Electrical Faults Result in
Shock, Burns or Fire...
 This
is the reasoning behind birds on high
voltage wires and why they do not fry.
Since the bird is only on the wire there is no
conduction between ground or other live
conductors. However, if I go to trim my
trees and touch the wires or place my ladder
on the wires, I have bridged the gap
between the live conductor and the ground.
Current flows from the line through my
body and gets discharged into the ground.
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That is a big OUCH!
Electrical Faults Result
In Shock, Burns or Fire...
Static Electricity
 Occurs when static electrical charges
accumulate from friction between
dissimilar materials. Discharge of static
electricity causes a mild shock.
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Causes Of Electric
Shock...
 Current
flow is the factor that causes
injury in electric shock; body resistance
will determine the path of flow
 Once the skin is broken, a victim will
have sharply reduced internal
resistance to the flow of current
21
Low Voltage Lethal Shock
Computations...
 Circuits
of 110 volts or less can kill
when the conditions are right. This is
regular household current.
 Synchronized
cardioversion 100mA
22
Overcurrent Devices...
 Protect
circuit from excessive heating
by opening the circuit automatically in
event of excessive current flow from
accidental ground, short circuit, or
overload.
 Examples
breakers.
include fuses and circuit
23
Ground Fault Circuit
Interrupter...
 GFCI
is a fast-acting circuit breaker that
is sensitive to very low levels of current
leakage (5mA) to ground. When
leakage becomes hazardous, it
interrupts circuit.
24
Ground Fault Circuit
Interrupter...
 You
can find GFCIs in what electricians
call “wet” areas such as the bathroom
and kitchen. GFCIs are normally used
for outside wiring outlets also.
25
Electrical Safety
Policy...
 An
equipment management plan exists to
identify, evaluate, inventory, and
maintain medical equipment to reduce
the physical and health risks associated
with its usage
 All biomedical and electrical equipment
used in a Hospital must be inspected and
tested prior to use and labeled with a
safety sticker
26
Electrical Safety
Policy...
 All
electrical devices a patient may bring
into the hospital need to be inspected and
tested prior to use and labeled with a
safety sticker prior to their use.
27
Electrical Safety
Rules...
Visually inspect all equipment for damage
prior to use
 Do not use extension cords for permanent
wiring
 Unplug equipment by pulling on the plug and
not the cord
 Damaged or defective biomedical/electrical
equipment must be removed from service and
reported to appropriate authority for repair

28
Electrical Safety
Rules...
Keep fluids, chemicals, and heat away from
equipment, cords, and cables
 Maintain sufficient access around equipment &
panels for operations/maintenance
 Do not touch energized/conductive surfaces
with one hand while touching the patient with
the other
 Know the function of each control prior to
using equipment

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Emergency Power
 Hospitals
are equipped with emergency
generators which will start automatically if
there is a loss of electrical power
 Emergency generators are tested monthly
in Hospitals
 Red electrical outlets provide emergency
power for critical patient care equipment
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Points to Remember
 Just
to recap,fire requires three
elements. Heat source, fuel and
oxygen. When one is absent, there can
be no fire.
 It is important to take an active part in
fire drills so that you are aware of what
your role is in the event of a fire.
 Remember R.A.C.E. and P.A.S.S.
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Points to Remember
 Electricity
is a convenient source of
energy but should not be taken for
granted.
 It has a current that can be measured and
if not respected can kill.
 The human body has the ability to
conduct electricity and serves as the
conducting object when an individual
touches a live circuit.
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Points to Remember
 All
patient electrical devices must be
checked and cleared by biomed prior to
use in the facility, they will have a tag
attached when this has been completed.
 Most of electrical safety, and for that
matter fire safety, involves common
sense and an ability to keep your eyes
open for hazards in the work place.
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