Code red alert system in hospital
Code red is an emergency code which is used to alert employee and fire-fighting team in case a
fire or possibility of fire is detected within the hospital premise. Unexpected fire is considered as
an emergency situation and code red system is used to urgently activate a set of action
intended to control the fire and prevent any major mishap. The system may slightly vary from
hospital to hospital, depending upon how the hospital is structured and organized. Here is a
code red system that can be used as a reference by hospitals. (Other codes - Code
Blue, Code Pink)
CODE RED POLICY
‘Code Red’ is used as a code word to alert employee and fire-fighting team on un-expected
detection of fire or possibility of fire anywhere within hospital’s premise. All employees are
expected to know the ‘Code Red’ system and must adhere to the action plan and guidelines to
be followed under this system. The intercom line with number 1111 is dedicated for calling and
activating code red. This number can be called from any intercom device and should be used
only in the event of fire.
Employees are also expected to know the location of the nearby fire-extinguisher and
emergency exit route to be used for the area where they work. A new employee in the hospital
must be oriented to the code red system on first day of the work. Following system shall be
used for Code Red.
CODE RED ALERT ACTIVATION
Code red shall be activated by any employee of the hospital who detects or is informed about
unexpected fire flames, smoke, smell of smoke, unusual heat or any other indication of fire. The
fire or fire like situation could be observed in any part of the hospital, including hospital’s
exteriors and terrace. Code red should be activated even if it is uncertain, if the situation is
caused because of fire or not.
For activating code red the intercom number ‘1111’ should be called from the nearest intercom
device and ‘Code Red’ followed by the location details shall be spoken. For example, if the fire
is observed in the hospital’s main kitchen, the employee should call 1111 and say, ‘Code Red
alert – Hospital’s main kitchen’. This should be repeated thrice in clear voice so that the receiver
at the other end understand the code and location.
The intercom line ‘1111’ is manned by a telephone operator round the clock, who has access to
public announcement system. As soon as code red alert call is received, he/she immediately
uses public announcement system to announce ‘May I have your attention please. Code Red at
….. area’. This activates code red system in hospital. The announcement shall be repeated 3
times initially in clear voice and then shall be repeated intermittently after that.
ACTION PLAN FOLLOWING CODE RED ALERT
As soon as code red alert is announced, employee should follow the action plan as described
below
Employee near to the area where fire is detected – As soon as code red is announced, all
employee who are near the location where fire is detected, should immediately assess the
severity of fire and follow R.A.C.E
· Rescue all patients, visitors and staff from immediate danger
· Alarm others in the nearby area and call for help
· Confine the fire in the area by closing doors and windows
· Extinguish the fire if the fire is small, by using fire extinguisher. Fire extinguisher should
be
used as per P.A.S.S. protocol, which is
o Pull the pin of fire extinguisher
o Aim the stream at the base of the fire
o Squeeze the lever slowly and gently
o Sweep from side to side
Employee near the fire area must also
· Keep themselves safe from fire
· Wait for direction from hospital’s authority or fire-fighting team in-charge for any further
actions
· The doctor or head nurse of the area must decide, if the central oxygen supply of their
area, shall be shut. The valve of oxygen supply can used for this purpose or the technician from
maintenance department can be asked for this
· Shut all the fire doors in nearby areas to prevent spread of smoke. These doors shall only
be used for passing through them
Hospital administrator – He/she will immediately reach the place and taking care of his/her
own safety, assess the situation. He/she shall ensure that R.A.C.E protocol is initiated and shall
also take decision on whether patients and others needs to be evacuated and whether to call
fire brigade immediately, without waiting for hospital’s fire-fighting team to arrive. Any situational
decisions shall be taken by him/her till the time of reaching of fire-fighting team after which the
situation shall be handed over to them.
In absence of hospital administrator the in-charge of the area where fire is detected shall
perform these functions.
Employees who are away from the fire location – All other employee shall must note the
location where fire has been announced and shall do following
· Do not go towards the area where fire has been detected, unless and until specifically
called upon or required
· Listen for additional instructions and be ready to help in case required
· Prevent and other outsiders in their vicinity from going towards the fire affected area
· Keep all fire doors closed except while passing through them, to prevent spread of fire
and smoke
· Be ready to evacuate if directed
· Do Not use elevators
In-charge of Central oxygen supply: He/she shall wait for instruction on whether Oxygen
supply shall be closed to the area where fire is detected and do according to the instruction.
He/she shall be available for any further instruction
Fire-fighting team – The fire-fighting team is composed of 4 personnel from security and
maintenance. The members of fire-fighting team are trained on fire-fighting measures. Three
teams are constituted and it is ensured that one team is present in all shift. There is an in-
charge of each team. The firefighting team must do following on listening code red alert
· Reach to the place where fire has occurred on an urgent basis
· Take charge of fire-fighting measures from the employees on sight
· Pass on necessary instructions to the people present over there for safety
· Start controlling the fire as per the training given to them
Fire-fighting team in-charge: The in-charge should also reach the place along with other team
members. The in-charge will lead the fire-fighting team and will also do following
· Assess the situation and determine, if the fire is severe enough to call for external help
· Decide whether evacuation plan needs to be initiated
· Decide whether Fire Brigade needs to be called
· Any other decision that needs to be taken
Fire Brigade – In case fire brigade is called, the fire-fighting team should continue their effort till
the time it reaches. Focus should be on safety. As soon as the fire brigade arrives, the situation
should be handed over to them and their direction should be followed
Evacuation – In case evacuation needs to be done, hospital’s evacuation plan for each area
shall be followed. This should be supervised by the fire-fighting team.
CODE RED – ALL CLEAR
The fire-fighting team in-charge has the authority to declare if the situation has been tackled and
is safe from fire. For this the in-charge calls back ‘1111’ and says ‘Code Red – All Clear’. On
getting this information, the operator then announces the same on public announcement
system. Employee on listening ‘Code Red – All Clear’ can assume that the fire emergency has
been taken care of and they can resume back to their normal work.
The employees, patient and visitors of the area where fire occurred shall be instructed, if the
area can be used or not. Also, any patient or employee if injured during the incident shall
immediately be taken to hospital’s emergency for treatment.
DOCUMENTATION
Code red event whenever occurred (real or mock) must be documented to keep a record and
for further improvement. This shall be done by preparing a report within 3 days of occurrence of
the incident. The report shall be prepared by the in-charge of fire-fighting team in consultation
with the employee of area where fire was detected. The report must contain following points and
shall be submitted to CEO
· Date and time of code red activation
· Severity of fire
· Measures taken for controlling fire (both by employee and team)
· Whether fire brigade was called?
· Whether evacuation was done?
· Losses – injuries, death, damage of property etc.
· Probable causes of fire
· Problems identified and corrective actions to be taken
