Category Archives: Hospital/Care Facility

Office Building, Other - Hospital/Medical

Elgin, IL – Sprinklers douse fire at medical building; Cause may have been lightning strike

Lightning may have started a small fire Friday in a northwest suburban medical office building, where an internal sprinkler system doused the flames before firefighters arrived. Elgin firefighters were called just before 7 a.m. Friday to the medical building at 1015 Summit St. after an employee arriving for work called to report a fire alarm going off, according to a statement from the Elgin Fire Department.

Firefighters heard a strobe horn going off, and saw water flowing out from an exterior door, but saw no smoke or flames. When the door was forced open, firefighters found that a fire had started in the telecommunications equipment and activated the sprinkler above. Investigators determined the cause of the blaze was “either an electrical issue or a lightning strike,” which caused the telecommunications equipment to catch fire until it grew strong enough to set off the sprinkler.

The alarm signal directly into the fire department did not activate because it is the telecommunications equipment that activates it, according to the department, which recommended a wireless system be installed. Fire and smoke damage to the building and contents was minimal, but the “building was determined to be unsafe due to an inoperative alarm, inactive sprinkler system, and unknown electrical conditions’ and consequently red-tagged,” the department said. City Code Enforcement inspectors were notified. No injuries were reported.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

Des Plaines, IL – Single sprinkler controls matress fire at long-term care and rehabilitation center (NO MEDIA COVERAGE)

NO MEDIA COVERAGE — Reported by the Northern Illinois Fire Sprinkler Advisory Board (NIFSAB).

Thursday morning, a single fire sprinkler controlled a mattress fire at Ballard Rehabilitation, a skilled nursing facility at 9300 Ballard Road in Des Plaines, until North Maine Fire Protection District crews provided final extinguishment. The fire sprinkler system contained the fire to a single room on the second floor and prevented major damage and possible deaths, thereby validating the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) decision to require fire sprinklers in all new and existing long-term care facilities nationwide.

The CMS federal rule requiring fire sprinklers in long-term care facilities became effective on August 13, 2013, following a five-year phase-in time frame after publication in 2008. The rule, which applies to Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF) that are regulated by CMS for Medicare and Medicaid licensure, is a direct result of two deadly nursing home in 2003 — one in Hartford, Connecticut, and the other in Nashville, Tennessee.

Please refer to NIFSAB web site for complete press release and additional information . www.firesprinklerassoc.org

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Bel Air, MD – Fire at medical center limited to utility closet thanks to sprinkler system

Nobody was injured in a small utility room fire at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air Sunday afternoon, according to theOffice of the State Fire Marshal.  At 1:07 p.m., a fire alarm activated at the medical complex in the 500 block of Upper Chesapeake Drive, the fire marshal reported. 

Staff told emergency dispatchers there was a fire in the cardiac catheterization lab, located on the first floor of the four-story building, the report said. A cardiac catheterization lab is where medical practitioners user special equipment to diagnose heart conditions. 

Approximately 20 firefighters responded—from Bel Air, Abingdon and Fallston—and found that a sprinkler had put out a small fire in lab’s utility room before crews arrived, the fire marshal reported.  While there was no structural damage at the facility and no procedures were taking place in the lab at the time of the incident

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

Rapid City, SD – Sprinklers help contain arson fire at detox center

2 Comments

No one was hurt in a fire at a detox center in Rapid City that prompted the evacuation of more than 50 people and the arrest of a client.

Authorities responded to the City/County Alcohol and Drug Program facility shortly before noon Wednesday. The building’s sprinkler system had helped contain the fire, and it was confined to a small area.

Thirty-six clients and 15 staff members were evacuated for a time.
Police determined that a client had set the fire in an isolation room. The suspect was taken into custody pending formal charges.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

Killeen, TX – Dryer vent fire at substance abuse center extinguished by sprinkler system

The Killeen Fire Department responded to a small structure fire on the corner of Avenue B and Gray Street just after 8 a.m. today. The fire started in the laundry room of the Word of Life building in downtown Killeen, according to Battalion Chief Clay Brooks, most likely caused by lent in the dryer vent.

“Lent accumulates, and it’s very combustible,” Brooks said.  Brooks said the facility’s sprinklers put out most of the flames. “The sprinkler head did its job,” he said.  No one in the building was injured, and there is no permanent damage to the structure.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Holdrege, NE – Electrical fire at hospital suppressed by sprinkler system

Phelps Memorial Health Center rang in the New Year with fire alarms Thursday night, when a malfunctioning electrical panel caused a small fire in the lower level of the hospital.  Though the sprinkler system and fire alarms were set off, patient care was not interrupted by the fire, and no one was evacuated, Phelps Memorial Director of Public Relations Keri Berry said.

At 9:31 p.m., the Holdrege Volunteer Fire Department responded to a fire call at the hospital because of smoke in a maintenance room at the hospital. Fifteen firefighters responded to the call and were on scene for about 30 minutes, Fire Chief Jim Wagner said.

“No patients were affected by the fire. No one was moved from their rooms,” she said. “Everyone worked really well to make the process smooth.”  The hospital is investigating the fire and did not have a damage estimate available.  No injuries were reported.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Grand Junction, CO – Sprinkler system saves hospital services building from further fire damage

A fire alarm went off at the Omni Hospital Services building on 475 28 1/4 Road in Grand Junction just before 8:30 PM on Christmas night dispatching the Grand Junction Fire Department to the area.

According to the fire department, smoke was in the building setting off the sprinkler system.  (Blog Editor’s Note – Smoke cannot activate a sprinkler system.  Only the substantial heat from a significant fire)

When crews got to the building they extinguished the fire. A laundry bin in the structure is what is being looked at as the cause of the fire. Fire crews stayed to clean up and help the business get back in service.

Hospital/Care Facility, Other - Hospital/Medical

Norman, OK – Intentionally set fire at mental health clinic controlled by sprinklers

Cleveland County sheriff’s deputies arrested a teenager in connection with a Thursday night fire at the Southern Plains Treatment Services, 310 12th Avenue NE.  The 17-year-old was charged Friday as a youthful offender with a felony count of first-degree arson in Cleveland County District Court.

Firefighters were notified of the blaze in a bathroom and laundry room at 9:13 p.m. When deputies questioned the juvenile suspect about the blaze, she admitted to starting the fire, according to an affidavit filed with the charge.

The girl told deputies she started the fire by piling a large group of towels next to the laundry room wall and setting it on fire. She said she acted alone and started the fire because she was “tired of being there and tired of the employees,” the affidavit said.

Video footage also shows the girl walking out of the laundry room after the fire was set, the document states.  There was fire damage limited to one wall in the room. The fire caused the sprinkler system and fire alarm to activate, the affidavit said.

Hospital/Care Facility, Hospital/Medical Clinic

Sprinkler system prevents major damage at vision center (Washington, MO)

A sprinkler system prevented extensive damage following a Sunday evening fire. Washington Fire Crews responded to a fire alarm at Advanced Sight Center in the office building at 1351 Jefferson just after 7 p.m. Sunday evening. Assistant Fire Chief Mark Skornia said the fire could have been a lot worse had the sprinkler system not worked to perfection. Skornia said when crews arrived on the scene they noticed heavy smoke inside the building. Crews made entry and saw fire in the ceiling.

Fortunately for the fire crews, the sprinkler system had knocked down much of the fire. Skornia said the fire was smoldering and Washington crews were able to quickly extinguish the problem. Crews then shut down the sprinkler system to prevent further water damage. Once everything was under control, Franklin County Arson Investigator Jim Schuhmacher investigated the situation. Skornia said Schuhmacher found nothing suspicious about the fire. Skornia said it’s believed the fire started in the wiring of a fan. The fan was in an equipment closest, malfunctioned, and caught fire. There were no injuries reported.

Adult Care/Rehab Center, Hospital/Care Facility

Sprinkler activates in fire at adult group home (East Providence, RI)

A fire forced the evacuation of an adult group home Thursday night.

The fire at 803 Willett Avenue began shortly before 8 p.m. in a second-floor closet, setting off the sprinkler system, the city’s fire marshal, Capt. Kenneth P. Botelho, said. Thirteen occupants – 11 residents and two staffers – had safely evacuated the building by the time firefighters arrived, he said.

The occupants were relocated to another group home in Warren. The building is temporarily uninhabitable due to water damage from the sprinkler, Botelho said, but there was no structural damage. The cause of the fire is under investigation, he said.