Massachusetts Nurse :: October 2005

Boston firefighters say DPH hallway policy undermines fire safety

Boston firefights are asking the state Department of Public Health to rescind its policy allowing hospital patients to be placed in hallways, saying it undermines fire safety.

In a letter to the state public health commissioner, Edward A. Kelly, president, Boston Firefighters Local 718, said, “We believe this practice presents an unnecessary risk to fire safety for hospitals, as well as a safety risk for patients, patients’ families and for hospital staff.”

The letter continues: “While a limited number of hospitals may be able to comply with this policy without committing a flagrant violation of fire codes, we believe that any use of this policy would undermine the intent of fire safety laws and ordinances. The addition of patients and their families to hallway environments would compromise our ability to appropriately respond to a fire or other emergency requiring rapid and efficient evacuation of a facility, thus placing patients, families and staff at risk.

“As the MNA position statement makes clear, there are a host of patient safety issues raised by the placement of patients in hallways. Solving this problem will require a systems approach, one which the hallway policy clearly does not provide.

“The MNA’s position statement outlines a number of steps that can be taken as an alternative to this policy and we strongly urge the DPH to work with all stakeholders to see that these approaches are undertaken. In the meantime, we join the MNA in calling upon the DPH to immediately rescind this policy.”