If there are oxygen supplies in the hazard area, all emergency responders should be made aware of their presence and use. While oxygen is in use, appropriate firefighting media should be located in the hazard area and ready to be used in case ignition occurs.
Oxygen cylinders should be protected from damage or contamination by using packaging that is suitable for the environment they are being used in. Medical gloves should be worn when handling oxygen cylinders to prevent them from being contaminated with a fuel such as grease, oil or alcohol-based hand sanitiser, thereby reducing the risk of ignition.
If an oxygen cylinder is damaged, it should be immediately managed, and then removed from the hazard area as soon as possible.
Correct use of medical oxygen by personnel
The World Health Organization has published Oxygen Cylinder Safety for health workers and all personnel managing medical oxygen.
Correct use of medical oxygen includes ensuring that:
- The gas is only turned on when it is required
- Adequate valves, pressure regulators and flowmeters are available and used to control the desired flow rate
- Oxygen cylinder valves are opened smoothly to avoid adiabatic heating and compression and the risk of fire ignition
Fire and rescue services should provide all personnel who may administer medical oxygen with instructions and training for its use.
Protection of the casualty and other people in the hazard area
The casualty should be protected against the risk of the ignition of medical oxygen. This could include ventilation of the hazard area or the use of fire-resistant blankets, especially if casualty clothing, bedding or dressings have been contaminated with a fuel, such as oil, grease or emollients.
If anyone else in the hazard area is wearing fuel-contaminated clothing, they should either leave the hazard area, or the clothing should be removed from the hazard area. Other objects, such as blankets, that have been contaminated by fuel should also be removed from the hazard area.