Surgical Fire Prevention Toolkit
Surgical fires are rare. But when a surgical fire does occur, the outcome is catastrophic. In most cases, surgical fires are preventable. However, the entire surgical team’s participation in education and mitigation is crucial to decreasing surgical fire risks. This toolkit provides resources and tools to assist your organization in creating and reviewing surgical fire prevention policies and procedures.
Prevention and Mitigation
It is imperative for the entire surgical team to participate in surgical fire risk identification and mitigation. Resources are provided focusing on risk identification and mitigation strategies.
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Surgical Fire Prevention Webinar
This 2019 webinar raises awareness of potential hazards that lead to surgical fires. Director of Patient Safety Caroline Stegeman discusses best practices and prevention tools that can be implemented to reduce surgical fire risks.
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Surgical Fire Prevention Presentation
Click to view the presentation slides used in the Surgical Fire Prevention webinar.
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TJC Sentinel Event Alert: Preventing Surgical Fires
The Joint Commission (TJC) discusses the identified root causes of surgical fires. The sentinel alert also examines surgical fire risk reduction strategies and prevention recommendations.
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FDA Recommendations to Reduce Surgical Fires and Related Patient Injury
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends these best practices to reduce the risk of fires occurring during surgical procedures.
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AORN: How to Plan an OR Fire Drill
Planning and conducting an OR fire drill is essential for the safety of patients, staff and physicians. This Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN)-produced resource provides instructions to assist surgical staff members in planning and conducting OR fire drills.
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AORN: Fire Drill Scenarios
The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) discusses 12 different fire drill scenarios that may be used for conducting fire drills in the surgical area.
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AORN: Fire Drill Evaluation Tool
Evaluations should follow all fire drills to document improvement and safety. The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) provides a useful fire drill evaluation tool for use by healthcare facilities.
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Surgical Fire Prevention: A Review
The article discusses surgical fire prevention and measures to mitigate risks.
Surgical Fire Assessment
Easy-to-use risk assessments are available to evaluate the surgical fire risk before, during and after a surgical procedure. These proactive tools can help provide patient safety measures regarding the prevention of surgical fires.
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AORN: Fire Prevention Assessment Protocol
The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) recommends completing this fire prevention assessment protocol prior to any surgical procedure. The protocol contains a risk assessment and interventions based on the assessment and surgical procedure.
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OR Fire Prevention Algorithm
The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) encourages surgical staff members to use this OR fire prevention algorithm poster. The information can be posted in highly visible areas of the surgical suite.
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AORN: Comprehensive Surgical Checklist
The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN's) comprehensive surgical checklist offers recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) and The Joint Commission (TJC), including best practices when performing surgical procedures.
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AORN: Fire Risk Assessment Tool
The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) fire risk assessment tool is recommended for use during the time-out process prior to surgical procedures.
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ASPR TRACIE: Surgical Fire Risk Assessment
The HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange (TRACIE) gives healthcare providers access to many fire risk assessment tools that can be utilized in surgical areas.
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Universal Protocol and Fire Risk Assessment
This fire risk assessment tool is embedded in the universal protocol process that should be conducted prior to surgical procedures.
Surgical Staff Resources
Staff members should be aware of things that contribute to surgical fires and how to implement fire prevention strategies. Resources in this section are recommended as staff educational materials to help prepare staff to help reduce the potential of surgical fires.
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OR Fire Prevention Poster
The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) provides quick tips on how to prevent surgical fires in the OR. The information can be posted in highly visible areas of the surgical suite.
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Anesthesiology Journal: Operating Room Fires
This 2019 article from the peer-reviewed publication Anesthesiology provides information on the three ingredients for fire, their sources in the surgical suite and expert-recommended training on rapid extinguishment of a fire.
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AORN: Duties of Perioperative Team Members in a Fire
Each surgical area should have designated team members with defined responsibilities to fulfill if a fire occurs. This resource by the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) provides a detailed list of defined responsibilities, making it easier to designate each role.
Surgical Laser Safety
Utilizing lasers in the surgical arena has potential risks which include incomplete treatment, pain, infection and the possiblity of ingniting a fire that can injure the patient. Information is provided on the best practices of laser safety in the surgical arena.
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Duke University Medical Center: Laser Safety Policy
Using lasers safely in the surgical area is vital for patient and staff member safety. This sample laser safety policy was created by Duke University Medical Center.
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AST: Guidelines for Best Practices in Laser Safety
The Association of Surgical Technologists (AST) presents a guide on laser safety best practices.
Surgical Fire Prevention | Online Resource Database
Online resources are available for healthcare providers who are interested in surgical fire prevention and education.
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American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA)
The AANA is a great resource for nurse anesthetists and the website provides patient safety topics related to the operating room.
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Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN)
The AORN is a great resource of operating room nurses and the website provides patient safety topics related to the operating room.
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Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF)
The APSF is a great resource for Anesthesia providers and the website provides patient safety topics related to the operating room.
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Council on Surgical & Perioperative Safety (CSPS)
The CSPS provides great resources for bringing the surgical team together to improve patient safety.
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U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)
The FDA provides great resourfes in patient safety related to food, drugs, medical devices, radiation-emitting products, vaccines, blood and biologics, animal & veterinary, cosmetics and tobacco products.
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National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
The NFPA provides great resources in fire safety and prevention including electrical safety to hazardous materials, community risk reduction and public safety.