- Author
- Bryan, J. L. | DiNenno, P. J.
- Title
- Examination and Analysis of the Dynamics of the Human Behavior in the Fire Incident at the Montgomery General Hospital on March 28, 1979.
- Coporate
- Maryland Univ., College Park
- Sponsor
- National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
- Report
- NBS GCR 80-239, May 31, 1979, 28 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Contract
- GRANT-79014
- Keywords
- bedding | fire departments | fire investigations | hospitals | nursing staff | patients | smoke | smoldering
- Abstract
- This fire incident at the Montgomery General Hospital on March 28, 1979 was initially dete cted by a nurses aide on the fifth floor, west wing as an odor of smoke while she was in room 517 at approximately 0100. The nurses aide immediately notified the charge nurse. Both nursing personnel then investigated to determine the source of the smoke odor. A light haze of smoke was observed at the ceiling of room 516, and a smoldering fire approximately four to five inches in diameter, on the cotton bed spread of an occupied patient bed. The nursing staff removed the bed spread and top sheet to a bathroom across the corridor and extinguished the fire in a sink. One staff member remained with the patient, and following extinguishment, the nursing shift coordinator and the fire department were notified. The Sandy Volunteer Fire Department responded and verified extinguishment. The facility local ala rm system and verbal fire announcement were not initiated and no evacuation was conducted in this 7-story fire resistive building constructed in 1971.