TAZEWELL,
Tenn. - What could have been a major disaster was averted Tuesday evening
when firefighters were able to rescue a man trapped in a smoke-filled
elevator at Claiborne County Hospital.
A short
time after 8 p.m., Claiborne County Hospital experienced the malfunctioning
of an elevator transformer which required the evacuation of 41 patients due
to heavy smoke, according to Linda Vanlandingham, RN, Director of Quality
and Risk Management for Claiborne County Hospital and Nursing Home. “We got
the call that there was a man trapped in the elevator,” said Barron Kennedy,
Fire Chief for the Tazewell - New Tazewell Fire Department, adding that his
department was on the scene in a matter of minutes.
Clarence
Henard, a security guard at the hospital, was trapped in the elevator. Fire
department members forced entry into the elevator after turning off the
power to the malfunctioning motor that was apparently the cause of the heavy
smoke.
“Upon
release from the elevator the employee received treatment in the hospital's
emergency room and was later transferred in stable condition to a Knoxville
hospital to receive further medical work-up,” said Vanlandingham.
The fire
department used their fans to get the smoke out of the building.
“The
hospital employees did a fantastic job of evacuating the whole hospital,”
said Kennedy.
The
hospital was cleared by the Fire Chief to return all patients to their rooms
at 8:55 p.m.
Also
responding to the scene were the Springdale Volunteer Fire Department,
Claiborne County Rescue Squad, Claiborne County EMS, Tazewell Police
Department and New Tazewell Police Department. The South Claiborne Volunteer
Fire Department was on standby at their headquarters in case they were
needed.
“We
are very pleased with the response of our troops and appreciate the
assistance of everyone involved,” said Kennedy.
Marisa Anders is Managing Editor
for the Daily News. She can be reached via e-mail at
manders@middlesborodailynews.com.
Copyright © 2006. Middlesboro Daily News
