Safety and emergency
RACE
Rescue, Alarm, Confine, Extinguish
The order of response taught for a fire in a healthcare facility. It is the single most reliably tested mnemonic in nursing orientation material, and it pairs with PASS, which covers the last letter in detail.
What each letter stands for
- 1 Rescue — move anyone in immediate danger away from the fire first.
- 2 Alarm — activate the alarm and call it in.
- 3 Confine — close doors and windows to contain smoke and flame.
- 4 Extinguish — use an extinguisher only if the fire is small and contained.
How it gets tested
Almost always asked as an ordering question: given a scenario, what does the nurse do first? The answer is the R, and the reason the item works is that alerting others feels more urgent than moving one person.
Related terms
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