RN Nursing · Emergency and Disaster Preparedness · Practice question
A nurse enters a client's room and notices a small fire in the client's garbage can. After removing the client from the room, which of the following actions should the nurse take next?
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Use a fire extinguisher to put out the fire.
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✓
Pull the fire alarm in the hallway.
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Close the door to the client's room.
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Ensure all of the windows are closed.
Answer & explanation
Correct: Pull the fire alarm in the hallway.
The RACE acronym guides fire response: Rescue (remove clients from danger), Alarm (pull the fire alarm), Contain (close doors and windows to prevent fire spread), and Extinguish (use a fire extinguisher if safe). The nurse has already completed the Rescue step by removing the client. The next step in the sequence is to Alarm — pull the fire alarm in the hallway — to alert the rest of the facility and activate emergency responders. This ensures that other staff, clients, and visitors are warned and that the fire department is notified promptly. Closing the door to the client's room is the Contain step and comes after the alarm is activated. Using a fire extinguisher is the Extinguish step and is only attempted after the other steps are completed and only if the fire is small and contained, which is uncertain here. Ensuring windows are closed is also part of containment, but this follows the activation of the alarm. Following the RACE sequence in order is essential because activating the alarm early maximizes safety for the entire facility while the fire is still small.
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