- Author
- Bryan, J. L. | DiNenno, P. J.
- Title
- Examination and Analysis of the Dynamics of the Human Behavior in the Fire Incident at the Manor Care, Towson Nursing Home on October 18, 1978.
- Coporate
- Maryland Univ., College Park
- Sponsor
- National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, MD
- Report
- NBS GCR 80-225, December 1978, 29 p.
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Contract
- GRANT-79014
- Keywords
- doors | fire departments | fire investigations | nursing homes | nursing staff | patients
- Abstract
- The nursing staff at this nursing home facility were alerted to the occurrence of the fire incident at approximately 1957 hours on October 18, 1978 by an unusal "popping" noise and an odor of smoke. The odor was localized in the area of the second floor nurses station. The patients were immediately moved from the corridors into their rooms and all the patient room doors on the second floor were closed. Upon investigation the source of the smoke odor was identified as the electrical transformer box for the patient call system. The box was internally heated and warm to the touch. No smoke or flames were visible in the fire incident. Upon identification of the source of the smoke odor, the facility emergency procedures were initiated, the local alarm system was activated, and the fire department was notified. It responded and disconnected the power to the transformer and vertified extinguishment. The two story fire resistive building was approximately two years old. The capacity of this nursing home was 115 patients, and the facility had a registered population of 109 patients at the time of the fire incident.