A fire card documents that you completed fire safety training. Facilities require it because fire response in a healthcare building works differently than almost anywhere else, and it sits with your other nursing credentials.
What does the card document?
Completion of fire safety training, though the form varies. Usually it is a certificate from training a facility or provider runs. In some jurisdictions the fire department issues a formal certificate after a test, carrying a number and an expiration date. Check which a shift asks for, since the two are not the same document.
What does fire training cover?
The sequence you follow and the tools you use.
- RACE: rescue anyone in immediate danger, activate the alarm, confine the fire by closing doors, then extinguish or evacuate
- PASS for extinguisher use: pull, aim, squeeze, sweep
- Which extinguisher suits which kind of fire
- Where alarms, pull stations, and extinguishers sit on your unit
- Oxygen shutoff, and why oxygen in use changes the response
Why do healthcare buildings defend in place?
Because evacuating them is usually more dangerous than the alternative. Residents who cannot walk, are attached to equipment, or cannot follow instructions do not move down a stairwell quickly, and the attempt can cause more harm than the fire. Healthcare buildings are built with fire and smoke barriers so people can be moved horizontally into an adjacent compartment instead, which is why training emphasizes closing doors and moving sideways rather than heading for an exit.
Does it expire?
Often. Facility training is commonly repeated each year as part of in-service requirements, and a fire department certificate carries its own renewal cycle. Enter the issue date when you upload it, and add an expiration date if the card shows one.
Adding it to your profile
Upload the card or certificate showing your name and the completion date.
- Tap Menu in the top left of the Nursa app.
- Select Profile.
- Scroll to the Credentials section.
- Tap Add your Credential.
- Upload your document as a PDF, WORD, JPG, or PNG.
Sign up as a clinician and keep this one current alongside your other annual training.
