Power Goes Out At Jaycees Tower, But EPB Is Able To Fix The Problem Without Evacuations

Power went off at the Jaycee Towers, 500 W. MLK Blvd., on Saturday morning, and evacuation of residents was considered.

However, EPB crews were eventually able to get the power back on.

Chattanooga Fire Department Quint 1 and Squad 1 initially responded the high-rise facility for elderly residents on a report of parties possibly trapped in a stalled elevator. Upon arrival, city police officers found that the building had lost power and was running off of the back-up generator.

Elevator #1 was found to have power but was stalled on the 17^th floor. Elevator #2 was without power and sitting on the ground floor. Elevator #2 was checked clear. Q1, S1 went up to check Elevator #1 on the 17^th floor and found it empty.

The fire marshal’s office was contacted and made aware of the situation. A representative from EPB was on the scene advised that there was some damage to several fuses and that he was going to secure all power to the building for safety reasons.

Lookout Properties management was notified of possible relocation of residents. Hamilton County EMS arrived for EMS concerns and brought Medic #9 to the scene for staging.

The decision was made to shelter all residents in place until EPB could troubleshoot the situation. An EPB troubleshooting crew arrived. Representatives from the American Red Cross were requested and arrived. The American Red Cross representatives coordinated an action plan to be put in place in the event of an evacuation of the residents.

EPB personnel restored the power to the building and  turned the scene over to  Lookout Properties.