Question

Nurse manager is reviewing the actions a staff nurse took when they observed smoke coming from a wastebasket in a clients room. The nurse manager should verify that the nurse acted appropriately when they performed which of the following actions first?

Option 1: Activating the fire alarm
Option 2: Removing the client from the room
Option 3: Attempting to extinguish the fire
Option 4: Calling for emergency assistance

Answer 1

The nurse's first action should be to remove the client from the room to ensure their safety, which aligns with the 'Rescue' component of the RACE protocol for fire safety in healthcare settings.

Step-by-step explanation:

The nurse manager should verify that the staff nurse acted appropriately in response to observing smoke coming from a wastebasket in a client's room by ensuring the first action taken was Option 2: Removing the client from the room. In any situation where there is a fire or potential fire, the priority is to ensure the safety of individuals, following the general principle of RACE - Rescue, Alarm, Confine, and Extinguish/Evacuate. The nurse's first responsibility is to rescue the client from immediate danger before proceeding with any other actions. Only after ensuring the client's safety should the nurse activate the fire alarm (Option 1), call for emergency assistance (Option 4), or attempt to extinguish the fire if safe to do so (Option 3).