A nurse in an extended facility notices a fire in the trash can. What is the nurse's priority action?

In situations involving a fire, the nurse's priority is to ensure the safety of clients. Moving the clients to another location is the first critical step to protect them from potential harm and to minimize their exposure to smoke and flames. This action aligns with the "RACE" protocol (Rescue, Alarm, Contain, Extinguish), which emphasizes rescuing individuals first before taking further steps.

After ensuring that all clients are safe and moved to a secure area, the nurse can then focus on alerting others about the fire by activating the alarm. Shutting windows and doors can be part of containing the fire, but it should come after ensuring that clients are moved to safety. Attempting to extinguish the fire may not be the safest action and can put the nurse or clients at risk if the fire is too large or beyond their control. Therefore, the most appropriate first action is to move the clients to safety.