You probably already knew this…
I know we talked a bit about fire drills not so long ago, but somehow I seem to have missed this particular “clarification” while I was dodging the COVID-19 virus last summer and I wanted to make sure that you folks who may not have had much time for bedtime reading last (last) summer, I figured it couldn’t hurt to get this one out there (especially since these clarifications seem to be generating some findings).
In the July 2020 issue of Perspectives, there is an article that discusses some of the “asks” (OK, I suppose they’re somewhat more authoritative than asks…) that could come into play during survey when your fire drill program is being evaluated. One of the items applies particularly to folks who are using the two-shift model (as opposed to a three-shift model) with the enjoinder to schedule drills when administrative staff are on site so they can participate in the drill(s)—and have the opportunity to respond acceptably to the drill. So that’s something that could be queried during a survey (if you’ve adopted the two-shift).
The next item concerns the scheduling of drills across quarters. Now I think that this kind of flies in the face of the whole randomized scheduling, but, for example, if you conduct a first-shift drill in February, then the expectation is that the subsequent drills would be in May, August, and November, using the “every three months, plus or minus 10 days” definition. So, if you were to conduct a first-shift drill in January and then a first-shift drill in June (with the intent being to “mix things up”), that would result in a finding. It’s been a long time since I’ve conducted a fire drill, but I suspect I would have been in arrears relative to this expectation.
The Perspectives article also includes some guidance relative to what things to look at during fire drills. For instance, making sure that (when the fire alarm system is activated) locked egress doors unlock appropriately; as well as making sure that you evaluate the component of your fire response plan that deals with the management of visitors, particularly at the point of origin for the fire.
In the end, I don’t know how helpful it was to “release” this particular information when a lot of folks were trying to figure out how to ensure staff didn’t lose sight of the importance of fire drills while still maintaining the social distancing norms of the day. I think we’ve all come to grips (more or less) with the whole hour of separation between drill times, but it almost seems like a case of moving the compliance target just out of reach every time you think you’ve “grasped” the brass ring (somehow the whole “compliance as carousel” vision seems to be more telling every time I think about it). I guess there’s always an opportunity or two floating around, but sometimes I wish they floated within the immediate field of vision…
Now that this has come to light, I think I’m going to go back and check some of those issues of Perspectives to see if there’s any more revelatory content. Until next time!
About the Author: Steve MacArthur is a safety consultant with The Greeley Company in Danvers, Mass. He brings more than 30 years of healthcare management and consulting experience to his work with hospitals, physician offices, and ambulatory care facilities across the country. He is the author of HCPro's Hospital Safety Director's Handbook and is contributing editor for Healthcare Safety Leader. Contact Steve at stevemacsafetyspace@gmail.com.