Category Archives: Hospital/Care Facility

College/University (on campus), Other - Hospital/Medical, School / University

Palo Alto, CA – Lab fire at Stanford University Medical School held in check by sprinkler system

Palo Alto Fire crews knocked down a 3-alarm fire at Stanford University in Palo Alto after evacuating the surrounding area Saturday morning.  Crews first reported the fire on Twitter around 7:45 a.m. in the Edwards Building at 300 Pasteur Dr., which is connected to the hospital.

A hazmat team is still on site because the fire started in and burned a laboratory containing bio-hazardous waste, Palo Alto Fire said.  Also on site are 60 firefighters from Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, 9 fire engines, five trucks, two medic ambulances, and five Command Chiefs. The main entrance to Stanford’s hospital is closed. Officials are redirecting those trying to enter the facility through other doors

A sprinkler system contained flames to a room on the third floor, according to Palo Alto Fire.  Around 8:00 a.m., the fire was upgraded from a 2-alarm to a 3-alarm.  Around 8:25 a.m., crews reported the fire was out. Since the fire was in the Medical School Building, officials say there was no threat to hospital patients. No injuries have been reported at this time.

 

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Rochester, NY – Electrical panel fire at hospital contained with help from sprinkler system

Firefighters say a major short in a power box is responsible for sparking a fire at Monroe Community Hospital early New Year’s Day.  Firefighters say an electric panel on the fourth floor caught fire around 2:30 a.m.   Crews got in quickly extinguished the fire.  The sprinkler system caused some water damage, but contained the fire was contained to the utility room.  Firefighters say no one occupies the section of the building where the fire started, however there was a power outage to part of the building.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

Kenosha, WI – Cooking fire at care center put out with help from sprinkler system

Residents of a care center displaced by water damage from a sprinkler system were able to move back into the facility Tuesday evening.

According to a spokesman from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, residents of the Kenosha Care Center I, 6024 18th Ave., were housed at the Dayton Care Center, 521 59th St., during the day on Tuesday.

They were allowed to move back into their residence after 7 p.m. on Tuesday.Operators of the Care Center could not be reached for comment.

According to the Kenosha Fire Department, a kitchen stove was being used for heat in the facility, and that set off the sprinkler system at about 5 a.m. Tuesday.

The fire department estimated that about 15 people were temporarily displaced. Some reportedly made temporary use of a bus provided while firefighters dealt with the initial fire call in order to stay out of the weather.

According to state records, the facility, which appears from the street to be a typical two-story home. It is licensed to care for up to 21 residents, and to care for people who are developmentally or physically disabled, terminally ill, mentally ill, suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, or people in transition from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

Shelton, CT – Kitchen fire at rehab facility extinguished by sprinkler system

On Nov. 27 at 4:01 p.m. the Echo Hose Co. #1, Huntington Co. #3 and White Hills Co. #5 responded to a fire alarm sounding at the Shelton Lakes Convalescent rehab Center at #5 lake Road. Upon arrival firefighters were made aware of a fire that had occurred in the kitchen of the facility. The fire started when a pan of liquid ignited on a stove top. The fire activated several fire sprinkler heads which extinguished the fire but caused water damage to the kitchen area. Firefighters remained on the scene to check for any fire extension and assistance facility employees. Two engines, one rescue truck and one ladder truck responded.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Elkin, NC – Hospital fire caused by portable fan contained by fire suppression system

Many times when firefighters respond to fire alarm calls, they turn out to be false alarms, but that wasn’t the case Monday night as Elkin fire officials arrived on the scene of such a call at Hugh
Chatham Memorial Hospital. One needs no further evidence in recognizing the effectiveness of fire protection systems than what
Elkin firefighters found upon responding to the fire alarm activation at the hospital Monday.  Responders and hospital employees learned that the fixed extinguishing system in the hospital’s server room had extinguished a fire caused by the failure of a portable electric fan.

The Elkin Fire Department was dispatched to the hospital at about 6:02 p.m., with the first fire engine arriving seven minutes thereafter. Firefighters and hospital staff quickly realized the fire alarm was not a false report, and upon investigating found the remnants of the now-melted fan in the otherwise
unaffected facility.

“The hospital can be thankful that their fire alarm and suppression systems worked exactly as intended, prohibiting further damage and ensuring the safety of both staff and occupants,” noted Elkin
Fire Chief Mike Morton. Fire and building codes require that these systems are designed to meet the specific needs of the building and its contents, and periodic maintenance and inspection of these important safety systems also is required to keep them ready in case the worst should occur, according to fire officials.

Morton also pointed out the dangers of specialized fire extinguishing systems are often significant as well. “Rooms like the one where this fire occurred are protected not with typical sprinkler systems that utilize water, but rather with extinguishing agents that displace the oxygen inside the room, smothering the fire,” the fire chief explained. It was thus important for firefighters and hospital staff to work together in returning a sufficient supply of oxygen to the affected area so it would be safe to occupy once more. Firefighters from Arlington Fire and Rescue also assisted in response to the incident as part of the mutual aid agreement between the two organizations.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

Orange, VA – Suspected arson fire during renovation of homeless shelter controlled by sprinkler system

The Orange fire marshal is investigating a suspected arson at the former President Madison Inn on Caroline Street. Right now the Paul Stefan Foundation is in the process of renovating the building into a regional home for pregnant homeless women.

Foundation president and co-founder Randy James got a call from town authorities around 7:30 Monday morning telling him water was coming out of the building. By the time he arrived, the first floor was flooded due to the sprinkler system being set off by flames.

Investigators say they suspect the fire was set to one of the rooms in the back. No one was inside the building at the time “The sprinkler system worked and that’s a blessing because we’ve remodeled the upstairs, put $200,000 into the third floor. So, no water went off on the third floor, and didn’t damage the work that was already done, so that was a blessing,” James said.

James estimates the damage to cost about $60,000 to $70,000. This is an ongoing investigation but the Sheriff’s Office says foul play is suspected. Anyone with information is asked to call the Orange County Sheriff’s Office at 540-672-1200.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Richmond Hill, ON, Canada – Sprinkler system controls overnight fire at medical sleep clinic

A dozen patients at a Richmond Hill sleep clinic got a rude awakening early Tuesday morning when a small fire roused them from their beds.

Richmond Hill Fire and Emergency Services responded to the fire in the Oak Ridges Medical Centre at 13291 Yonge St. at 2:43 a.m. Tuesday.

On arrival crews encountered smoke coming from the restaurant in the rear of the building.

Firefighters helped remove 12 people from the stairwell and sleep clinic area, according to Richmond Hill’s fire chief Steve Kraft.

The flames were partially extinguished by the sprinkler system and fire crews extinguished the remaining fire.

“There were no injuries. It was a small fire that was kept in control with the sprinkler system of the building. Our crews arrived and they assisted getting some people out that were at the sleep clinic,” Richmond Hill deputy chief Bryan Burbidge said.

“We got the people out first and then went back in to finish extinguishing the fire and then remove the smoke.”

The patients were fine during the ordeal, despite the early wake-up call, Burbidge said.

“They were fine, other than lack of sleep,” he said.

While the cause of the fire has not yet been determined, it is not considered suspicious, Burbidge said.

Twenty firefighters, the chief officer and York Regional Police and paramedics worked to resolve the incident.

The medical building was expected to be fully operational this morning with the exception of the cafeteria.

Oak Ridges is in northern Richmond Hill, just south of Aurora.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Nursing Home/Senior Living

Antioch, CA – Fire at senior memory care facility controlled by single sprinkler

Nearly 40 people were displaced after electrical smoke activated a fire sprinkler Tuesday afternoon at a senior living center.  A fire was reported around 2:57 p.m. at Hillcrest Memory Care Living at 825 East 18th Street, said Contra Costa County Fire Inspector Steve Aubert. No injuries have been reported.

An individual was working in a maintenance room when smoke from an electronic device activated the fire sprinklers in the building. The incident was under control around 3:30 p.m. The senior living center cares for patients with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, said Contra Costa County Fire Marshal Robert Marshall. The small electrical fire was controlled by a single sprinkler head.

“If there was a bigger fire in there, we would have had a much bigger problem and possibly fatalities,” Marshall said.  Aubert said the water damage impacted 39 tenants.  They were “relocated to a different center because it’s going to take some time to clean up the area,” he said.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Bend, OR – No injuries as single sprinkler keeps mechanical fire in check at hospital

A fire broke out in a washer for surgical instruments at St. Charles Bend early Wednesday, causing about $200,000 damage, but a fire sprinkler kept the damage from being far more severe, officials said.

The blaze prompted closure of some areas of the hospital for a time, as well as the cancellation of all elective surgeries for the day.

Shortly before 6 a.m., Bend fire crews responded to the reported fire at the hospital on Northeast Neff Road, said Deputy Fire Marshal Cindy Kettering. They arrived to find light smoke coming from the lower level of the facility.

A machine used to clean surgical tools caught fire, said hospital spokeswoman Lisa Goodman.

A single sprinkler head activated in the area and held the fire in check until crews arrived, Kettering said. There was some smoke and water damage to the lower level of the facility, and fire crews helped clear remaining smoke from the building.

Investigators determined a heating element within the unit had overheated and failed, causing the fire, Kettering said.

As with any alarm at the hospital, numerous Bend firefighters responded to the scene, clearing the area of smoke and water by about 6:40 a.m. No one was injured, Goodman said.

As a result of the fire in the hospital’s central processing area, elective surgeries were canceled for the day, with only emergency procedures to be performed.

The hospital’s lower-level floor, including the in-patient pharmacy, was closed for a time but had reopened by 7:30 a.m. Goodman said the hospital had resumed normal operations and that all scheduled caregivers should report to work as usual.

Kettering said the fire was a clear example of the value of fire sprinkler and fire alarm systems,” which helped to isolate the fire area and quickly move to protect staff and patients. The sprinkler system minimized damage and will allow operations to resume in a timely manner.

“Without a properly maintained and operational fire sprinkler system, the damage from today’s fire would have undoubtedly been far more severe,” Kettering wrote in a news release.