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Fire safety reminder from Penn State College of Medicine Facilities

If a fire were to break out in your workspace, how would you react? What would you do first?

If you needed to use a fire extinguisher, would you immediately remember the four basic steps? Or would you need a few minutes to read the instructions first? Remember, seconds count in an emergency.

It’s our responsibility to make Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine a safe environment for patient care, research and learning. All of us can help by remembering two simple words.

When there’s a fire, RACE:

  • Rescue anyone in immediate danger if you can safely do so.
  • Alarm – activate the fire alarm and dial 8888 to report the fire.
  • Contain the fire and smoke by closing doors.
  • Evacuate to a safe location where the alarm is not sounding. Extinguish the fire if it is safe to do so.

To use a fire extinguisher, PASS:

  • Pull the pin.
  • Aim the hose or nozzle at the base of the fire.
  • Squeeze the handle.
  • Sweep from side to side.

Fire or smoke alarm activation in COM buildings:

  1. Investigate your area for the presence of smoke or fire, if possible.
  2. Direct visitors, students and staff in your area to evacuate.
  3. Evacuate to another building on the same floor not in alarm or exit horizontally or vertically through the stairwell to the building exterior.
  4. Report to your meeting point.

If you work in a non-hospital building and happen to be in a hospital building during a fire alarm, you may exit the affected building to the outside, move to another building not in alarm, or go to the nearest nurse’s station in the affected building to support them.

If the fire alarm in another building sounds, do not enter the building.

When the fire alarms stop, the building can be entered and regular work duties can resume. Open related doors.

Ensure you help those who may have disabilities to the outside.

–Submitted by Facilities

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