Question

The nurse purchases a cup of coffee, a bottle of water, and a bagel in the hospital cafeteria and then returns to the nursing unit to take a morning break in the staff lounge. On entering the lounge, the nurse notes that the cushion of a chair is on fire. What should the nurse's first action be?

a) Call a colleague for assistance
b) Attempt to extinguish the fire using available equipment
c) Evacuate the lounge immediately
d) Ignore the fire and proceed to the break

Answer 1

If a nurse notices a fire in the lounge, their first action should be to evacuate the area immediately.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a nurse enters a staff lounge and notices that a cushion of a chair is on fire, the nurse's first action should be to evacuate the lounge immediately. The safety of everyone in the lounge is the top priority, and it's important to remove themselves from the immediate danger and potential smoke inhalation. Once outside, the nurse should follow the hospital's established fire safety procedures, which may include calling for assistance or using the available equipment to try to extinguish the fire (if safe to do so).