HVAC issues the cause of smoke in emergency room
By Mike McCombs
The Island News
The emergency room at Beaufort Memorial Hospital (BMH) was evacuated briefly on Tuesday, July 22, as a result of a fire alarm.
According to City of Beaufort/Town of Port Royal Fire Department Deputy Chief Ross Vezin, the fire department received the alarm at approximately 3:22 p.m. and responded appropriately for a structure fire – three engines, a battalion chief and a ladder company.
Vezin said by the time fire crews reached the scene, the hospital had the ER evacuated.
“Honestly, it wasn’t anything major,” Vezin said. “The ER job did a great job dealing with the issue and evacuating patients as needed.”
Vezin, as well as BMH President and CEO Russell Baxley, attributed smoke in the ER to an HVAC issue.
“Earlier this afternoon, a fire alarm went off in the Beaufort Memorial Pratt Emergency Center,” Baxley said Tuesday afternoon in a statement. “This alarm was not the result of a fire, but a result of the bearings in the HVAC system causing smoke in the facility.
“The hospital ER was evacuated quickly so that the cause of the fire alarm could be assessed, and upon approval from the Beaufort/Port Royal Fire Department, the all-clear was issued at 4:01 p.m., with the entire incident lasting less than 30 minutes.”
Baxley praised his ER staff and thanked first responders.
“The team responded amazingly,” he said, “and we thank the fire and EMS crews for their help and their support.”
