The MDA Guidelines are clear enough, and I have always interpreted this is
having means of fighting small fires within a reasonable distance, though
I have never yet been pushed to define 'reasonable.'  Outside in the corridor
is OK, down the corridor and round the corner is pushing it, I would have
thought.

Just to compound the issue, our local fire officer no longer recommends the
use of any appiance by staff, to the extent of instructing us NOT to try
to fight fires at his regular fire lectures.  For a serious outbreak, this
is wise advice, and avoids the common problems of accidents arising directly
from the use of very noisy and startling CO2 bottles, being frozen to the
nozzle and dropping the thing on your foot, and so on.  However, the likeliest
fire event with a class 4 laser is, in my opinion, more probably drapes,
paper, hair or plastic surgical bits, which, if left, could easily develop
into something more serious, but could be extinguished quickly with the sterile
syringe (half a litre is more than just a syringe, but that is a different
issue) or wet cloths, or a small CO2 bottle.  Our fire officer doesn't seemt
to have a problem with small extinguishers, just so long as we don't get
to use them!


>-- Original Message --
>Date:         Thu, 27 Oct 2005 09:57:08 +0100
>Reply-To:     British Medical Laser Association <[log in to unmask]>
>From:         Al Crawford <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Lasers and fire extinguishers
>To:           [log in to unmask]
>
>
>Hi,
>
>We're having a bit of trouble with a new fire officer here, and could do
>with some help!
>
>Basically I was wondering if there's any recommendation anywhere about the
>need to have a fire extinguisher in a room or theatre when there's a Class
>4
>laser in use. The only bits of advice I can find in writing on this are
from
>a 2003 document by the National Care Standards Commission (as was) saying
>that "there should be an appropriate fire extinguisher in the near vicinity
>of a laser" plus of course the 1995 MDA Guidance document which says that
>"there should be easy access to an appropriate fire extinguisher".
>
>For many years we've insisted that there be a CO2 extinguisher mounted
>inside a laser room or theatre, and in our rules we say that laser users
>should know where the extinguisher is and how to use it in the event of
any
>incident.
>
>This new fire officer is saying that he doesn't see the need to have an
>extinguisher in the room, since there is one nearby (actually down the
>corridor and round the corner - I have visions of people rushing frantically
>in all directions trying to find the wretched thing!). He would, however,
>concede the use of a fire blanket within the room or theatre.
>
>Does anyone know of any concrete advice or recommendation that we could
>throw at him on this one, or indeed any consensus view among LPAs (if such
>a
>thing is possible!) on this topic? Or should we just go along with what
he's
>saying?
>
>Thanks in advance for any help you can give!
>
>
>Al.
>
>-- 
>
>Dr Al Crawford
>Medical Physics Department
>Queen's Medical Centre
>Nottingham NG7 2UH
>UK
>
>[log in to unmask]
>
>
>
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