- Author
- Bryan, J. L. | DiNenno, P. J.
- Title
- Examination and Analysis of the Dynamics of the Human Behavior in the Fire Incident at the Maryland General Hospital on August 8, 1978.
- Coporate
- Maryland Univ., College Park
- Sponsor
- National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
- Report
- NBS GCR 80-222, May 31, 1979, 28 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Contract
- GRANT-79014
- Keywords
- fire departments | fire investigations | hospitals | nursing staff | smoke
- Abstract
- This fire incident at the Maryland General Hospital on August 8, 1978 was detected by a nurses aide at approximately 0813 hours. The nurses aide detected an odor of smoke in the west corridor of the sixth floor central nursing unit. The nurses aide immediately reported the condition to the patient care corrdinator who went to the corridor and observed a light haze of smoke at the ceiling. The patient care coordinator directed the nurses aide to report the fire incident to the facility telephone operator. The security director was also notified by phone and upon arrival activated the local alrm system. Activation of the local alarm system also automatically transmitted an alarm to the Baltimore City Fire Department through an auxiliary system arrangement. The smoke source was discovered to be a smoldering fire in an ash tray covered with a sheet. Upon staff removal of the sheet and adjacent fuel materials, the fire self-extinguished. The seven story central hospital building of fire resistive construction was approximately thirteen years old. At the time of the fire incident the sixth floor central nursing unit was at full capacity with thirty-eight patients. The Baltimore City Fire Department responded and verified extinguishment.