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Make evacuation drills realistic to prepare for fires

Ambulatory Safety Monitor, April 7, 2004

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It is important to make fire drills as realistic as possible so the entire surgical team knows exactly what to do in an emergency, says Scott Aronson, a principal with Russell Phillips and Associates, a fire and emergency management company in Rochester, NY.

Have safety personnel visit the operating room (OR) during a surgery. Usually, safety personnel only inspect the OR during their inspections, but periodically they should observe what actually takes place during surgeries, says Aronson.

Organizations don't usually pay much attention to their evacuation plans when staff conduct fire drills, but this is an important consideration. Make sure staff know where they can go if a fire breaks out during surgery and they have to evacuate the OR but not the facility, says Aronson. Ensure that the area you plan to evacuate to will have emergency power. Evaluate this plan on a regular basis.

If staff change the layout of a room or open a new surgical suite, remember to include those changes in the evacuation plan.

Don't forget about heating and air conditioning ducts. Consider this question: Will the ducts shut down if there is smoke outside the OR in order to protect the OR environment? Try to conduct a fire drill as if staff have actually discovered a fire. This will help you consider all the steps you need to practice in drills, says Aronson.

If a team from another department is supposed to respond to the OR in case of a fire, make sure everyone on the team knows where the OR keeps equipment necessary for life functions so they don't waste time searching for it during the fire, says Aronson.

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