What Does RACE Stand for in Fire Safety? Steps and Meaning

RACE is a fire response sequence that stands for Rescue, Alarm, Contain and Extinguish or Evacuate. In one line: get people out of immediate danger if it is safe to do so, raise the alarm and call the emergency number, close the doors to slow the fire and smoke, then leave the building, or put out the fire only if it is small and you are trained. The wording of each letter varies by organization, but the order does not.

RACE is a memory aid taught by many workplaces, universities and hospitals. It is not a legal standard of its own. What the law asks for, in the US for example, is an emergency action plan and trained people (see the OSHA section below). Follow the plan at your own site if it differs from the wording here.

RACE at a glance

The variants are real. Weill Cornell Medicine writes Rescue, Alarm, Confine, Evacuate/Extinguish. NYU writes Rescue, Alert, Contain, Evacuate/Extinguish. The University of Illinois Chicago writes Rescue, Activate, Confine, Evacuate. So if you are asked what the C in RACE stands for, the answer is Contain, also written Confine.

R: Rescue

Help people who are in immediate danger from the fire or smoke to move away from it. The condition that matters is that you can do it safely. UIC’s wording is to rescue anyone in the immediate danger area if you can safely do so. Do not enter smoke-filled space, and do not go back in for property. If someone cannot get out, note where they are and tell the responders.

A: Alarm

Warn the building and bring help. The usual actions are to shout fire, pull the nearest alarm pull station and call the emergency number from a safe location. The emergency number depends on your country and site, so know yours before you need it. Some sites also have an internal number that reaches a security or control room. Raising the alarm early matters because every other step depends on it.

C: Contain (Confine)

Close doors and windows as you leave. This slows the spread of fire and smoke and gives people more time to leave. UIC adds two details: do not lock the doors, and secure dangerous substances or equipment if it is quick and safe to do so. Do not take time for either if the fire is growing.

E: Extinguish or Evacuate

Evacuation is the default. Use the nearest safe exit, take the stairs and not the elevator, and go to the assembly point. Do not go back in until the fire service or the site’s emergency staff say it is safe. Fighting the fire is the exception, and only for a small one.

When it is reasonable to use an extinguisher

NFPA lists the conditions for using a portable extinguisher: the fire is confined to a small area, such as a wastebasket, and is not growing; everyone has exited the building; the fire department has been called or is being called; and the room is not filled with smoke. NFPA also advises keeping your back to a clear exit. If any of these is not true, leave. Weill Cornell’s version adds that extinguishers are for trained people and small fires, after the rest of RACE has been followed.

PASS: how to use the extinguisher

• Pull the pin and release the locking mechanism, with the nozzle pointing away from you.
• Aim low, at the base of the fire.
• Squeeze the lever slowly and evenly.
• Sweep the nozzle from side to side.

Extinguisher types differ, so read the label and instructions. Choose by fire class: OSHA’s portable extinguisher rule refers to Class A, B, C and D fires. Class A is ordinary combustibles such as wood and paper, Class B is flammable liquids and gases, Class C is energized electrical equipment, and Class D is combustible metals. Many standards also add Class K for cooking oils and fats. Using the wrong agent can make a fire worse, for example water on a grease or electrical fire. See the guide to types of fire extinguisher and the fire extinguisher placement calculator.

Step by step: a worked sequence

1. You see flames in a storeroom. You check that nobody is in the room and that the exit behind you is clear (Rescue).
2. You shout fire, pull the nearest alarm and phone the emergency number (Alarm).
3. You close the storeroom door as you leave, without locking it (Contain).
4. You go to the assembly point by the nearest exit, stairs only (Evacuate). If the fire was small, still confined and everyone had left, a trained person could try an extinguisher with their back to the exit (Extinguish). Otherwise they leave.

This is an illustration of the order of actions, not a record of any real incident.

What employers have to provide (US OSHA example)

RACE only works if the building has the plan, the alarm and the people behind it. In the US, OSHA 1910.38 requires an emergency action plan, written and kept in the workplace (an employer with 10 or fewer employees may communicate it orally). The plan must cover at least:

• how to report a fire or other emergency;
• evacuation procedures, including the type of evacuation and exit route assignments;
• procedures for employees who stay to operate critical plant operations before they evacuate;
• how to account for all employees after evacuation;
• procedures for employees doing rescue or medical duties;
• the name or job title of everyone employees can contact for more information.

OSHA 1910.38 also requires an employee alarm system that uses a distinctive signal for each purpose, trained employees designated to help with a safe and orderly evacuation, and a review of the plan with each employee when the plan is developed or the job is assigned, when the employee’s duties under it change and when the plan changes.

Where extinguishers are provided for employee use, OSHA 1910.157 requires them to be readily accessible and fully charged, visually inspected monthly and given an annual maintenance check. Employees must be taught the general principles of extinguisher use and the hazards of incipient stage fire fighting when they start and at least annually afterward. Employees who are designated to fight fires under the emergency action plan need training on the equipment, on initial assignment and annually. Outside the US the legal duties differ, so check your own country’s fire safety law.

Common mistakes

• Fighting the fire before raising the alarm. The alarm comes first, as the sequence shows.
• Locking the door of the fire room. UIC says to close doors but not lock them.
• Using the elevator to leave. NYU and UIC both say to use the stairs.
• Going back in. Nobody re-enters until the fire service or authorized staff say so.
• Not knowing the emergency number or the assembly point. Learn both on your first day on site.
• Leaving the plan to paper. OSHA expects the plan to be reviewed with employees, and drills are how people learn it.

For planning drills and checking exits, see fire drill safety, fire escape safety and fire safety in the workplace.

Questions about RACE

What does the C in RACE stand for?

Contain, sometimes written Confine. It means closing doors and windows to slow the spread of fire and smoke.

Is RACE the same as PASS?

No. RACE is the response sequence for a fire. PASS is the method for operating a portable extinguisher, which is only part of the last step.

Is RACE a legal requirement?

The acronym is not. In the US, OSHA 1910.38 requires an emergency action plan with reporting and evacuation procedures where an OSHA standard requires a plan. Many employers use RACE to teach that plan.

Sources (checked 31 October 2026)

• Weill Cornell Medicine Environmental Health and Safety, Follow the R.A.C.E Procedure
• NYU, Fire Safety
• University of Illinois Chicago, What to Do in Case of Fire
• NFPA, Fire extinguishers
• OSHA 29 CFR 1910.38, Emergency action plans
• OSHA 29 CFR 1910.157, Portable fire extinguishers

General information. In a real fire, follow your site’s emergency plan and the instructions of the emergency services.