Ideas That Work: Fire Drills Are in the Bag

During fire drills — as well as in the event of an actual fire emergency — some facilities place a magnet on the outside of a room that says “Checked” or similar language to confirm that a room has been evacuated. This ensures that a staff member doesn’t duplicate that check or, worse, opens the door to be met with flames. Kim Merrill, MSN, RN, nurse administrator at Harford County Ambulatory Surgery Center in Edgewood, Md., says one of her employees proposed a different approach. “Every room has a red biohazard bag taped to the wall, just inside the door,” says Ms. Merrill. “During a fire, we’d tape the bag to the outside of the door or wrap it around the doorknob on the hallway side to indicate that the room has been checked. The bag is right there — you grab it, you put it on the door, and you go.” The deep red of the bag provides an easy-to-see, easy-to-understand visual deterrent that instantly registers with staff that the room is off limits during an evacuation.