1. How dental practices catch fire — and how they do not

This course

1 hour of verifiable CPD. Standalone. GDC Development Outcomes C and D.

Suggested study time

• Fuel, ignition, prevention — 18 min
• Law, alarm, responsible person — 20 min
• Get out, stay out, help others — 17 min
• Knowledge check — 5 min

The triangle

Fire needs fuel, oxygen and ignition. Dentistry supplies all three if you are careless: paper and packaging, solvents and monomers, oxygen cylinders, overloaded extension leads, compressors, sterilisers, kitchen toasters, and contractors’ hot work.

Prevention that is cheap

Do not prop fire doors. Do not store cardboard against heaters. Empty bins. Keep plant rooms tidy. Service electrics. Store oxygen per your medical-gas procedure. No charging e-scooters in the staff room overnight unless the assessment says it is controlled. Kitchen: someone stays with the toaster.

Hot work and engineers

Anyone using heat or flame on site needs a permit-style control: isolate, watch for smoulder, check afterwards. Do not leave a compressor engineer unsupervised in a store full of alcohol wipes.

Arson and security

Lock-up includes bins away from the wall and no stacked waste by the back door. That is fire prevention as well as theft prevention.