The Chattanooga Fire Department recognized seven hospital colleagues for their outstanding efforts in protecting the safety and welfare of patients during and following a small fire June 10
Chattanooga Fire Department Chief Phil Hyman and his team visited Parkridge Medical Center Monday to recognize seven hospital colleagues for their outstanding efforts in protecting the safety and welfare of patients during and following a small fire June 10.
Parkridge nurses and patient care technicians recognized by Chief Hyman today included Jessie Accardo, Jeff Hobin, Dee Dee Leight, Jake Leiviska, Renee Mills, Sam Perkins and Chelsea Scheidler.
“We thank the Chattanooga Fire Department for the rapid and overwhelming response they provided that evening and Chief Hyman for recognizing the staff today,” Tom Ozburn, president and CEO of Parkridge Health, said. “As Parkridge leaders, we also wish to recognize the brave and responsible efforts of our Parkridge team members who used their training, situational awareness and effective communication skills to ensure all patients and colleagues were safe and that patients’ families were informed.”
The fire was confined to one patient room in the surgical intensive care unit and quickly extinguished. As a precaution, however, patients were relocated to another area of the hospital. Provision of care continued safely and uninterrupted following their relocation.
“I commend the firefighters and hospital staff for the great job they did working together to alleviate a potentially dangerous situation," said Chief Hyman. "The firefighters got in there quickly and found that the fire had already been extinguished. Our crews went to work to clear out the smoke, as well as the water damage created by the sprinkler system. We appreciate the nurses and staff for the actions they took. Parkridge's team was tremendous in helping our crews with this incident."
CFD investigators said the fire was caused by a patient attempting to smoke in bed. While the patient in the room where the fire began received minor injuries, no other patient or staff member was harmed.
“While we also acknowledge numerous other colleagues for their support and clean-up roles following the incident, these seven individuals were pivotal to keeping our patients and staff safe at all times,” Mr. Ozburn said. “That is the most important outcome of all.”