A fire breaks out in your ward. The first action you take is:

Appeared in: GMCH - 2016

Explanation

The correct first action during a fire is to rescue individuals in immediate danger, which aligns with the 'R' in the RACE protocol.
Patient safety is the absolute first priority in any hospital emergency.
Evacuating patients moves them away from the immediate threat of flames, smoke inhalation, and toxic gases.
All other essential actions, such as sounding the alarm or containing the fire, follow after the immediate rescue of individuals.

Option A: Calling the fire brigade is the 'Alarm' step in the RACE protocol. This is the second action, performed after ensuring patients are moved from immediate danger.
Option B: Shutting off the oxygen supply is part of the 'Contain' step in the RACE protocol. This is the third action, performed after Rescue and Alarm.
Option C: Using a fire extinguisher is the 'Extinguish' step, which is the last step in the RACE protocol. It should only be attempted for small, contained fires by trained personnel and after patients are safe.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Emergency preparedness and fire safety in a healthcare setting as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Knowledge of the RACE protocol is a fundamental competency for all healthcare workers to ensure patient, visitor, and staff safety.
Regular fire drills are mandatory in hospitals to practice these steps, ensuring a coordinated and effective response in a real emergency.
What if? If you discover the fire in an empty utility room with no patients present, the first action would shift to 'A' - Alarm. Since there is no one to rescue, the next immediate priority is to activate the alarm to initiate a facility-wide response.

How to Approach the Question

Identify the question type: This is a priority-setting question asking for the 'first' action in an emergency.
Recognize the clinical context: A fire in a hospital ward is a critical safety event.
Recall the standard protocol: The mnemonic for fire safety in healthcare is RACE.
Analyze the mnemonic: RACE stands for Rescue, Alarm, Contain, Extinguish.
Match the options to the protocol steps: 'Evacuate the patients' corresponds to 'Rescue', the first step.
Select the option that matches the first step of the established protocol.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Emergency preparedness and fire safety in a healthcare setting.
Stem keywords: fire, ward, first action
Lead-in keywords: first
Clinical cues: The care setting changes urgency, monitoring level, and the expected nursing action.

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E6 Nursing Fundamentals Potter Perry 12e Part 2 pp. 196-198, 197-199

Practise the full GMCH - 2016

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.