Back to Basics: Surgical Fires Are Preventable

When was the last time you reviewed your fire prevention strategies? Recommendations for fire prevention in the operating room, like all best practices, change over time. Stay up to date with new guidance and resources from The Joint Commission (TJC) and the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF).

In their most recent Sentinel Event Alert, TJC updated their 2003 guidance on preventing surgical fires, including how the "fire triangle" can impact your prevention efforts. You’ll also find additional resources from the APSF. APSF provides videos, a fire prevention algorithm, and other printable posters and visual aids free of charge, making it easy to enhance your surgical fire prevention efforts.

What You Can Do

• Read the guidance and review the tools linked in the buttons below

• Consider surgical fire prevention as a quality improvement project for your group

• Review your own fire prevention strategies and trainings to ensure they are sufficient