Garage becomes makeshift hospital during Calif. wildfires

Ambulance uses garage to keep patients safe


After their ambulance caught fire, paramedics used an abandoned garage  to keep shelter patients until they could get to safety, according to an article on The Washington Post website.

In an act of desperation, a paramedic had broken into the house Nov. 8, through a doggie door, the article said. The ambulance crew then moved three patients into the garage. They were joined by others, and ultimately 13 people took refuge from the fire.

The medical staff and patients — including a woman who had just had a C-Section — huddled in the garage as fire “rained down” around them, according to one of the nurses in the group.

The medical staff had escaped with some patients from Feather River Hospital in Paradise that morning in two ambulances. They were about a mile from the hospital when one of the ambulances broke down from the thick smoke, then started to melt.

Medical staff and firefighters kept the house safe after the ambulance crew unloaded patients into the garage. 

Read the article.

 

 



November 27, 2018


Topic Area: Safety


Recent Posts

Grounding Healthcare Spaces in Hospitality Principles

Thoughtful design can establish the calm of a spa and the restorative feeling of a resort in healthcare spaces, bringing benefits for patients and care providers.


UC Davis Health Selects Rudolph and Sletten for Central Utility Plant Expansion

Work is already underway with substantial completion anticipated in the fall of 2027.


Cape Cod Healthcare Opens Upper 2 Floors of Edwin Barbey Patient Care Pavilion

The first two floors opened for patients in May 2025 and house the Davenport-Mugar Cancer Center.


Building Sustainable Healthcare for an Aging Population

Traditional responses — building more primary and secondary care facilities — are no longer sustainable.


Froedtert ThedaCare Announces Opening of ThedaCare Medical Center-Oshkosh

The organization broke ground on the health campus in March 2024.


 
 


FREE Newsletter Signup Form

News & Updates | Webcast Alerts
Building Technologies | & More!

 
 
 


All fields are required. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

 
 
 
 

Healthcare Facilities Today membership includes free email newsletters from our facility-industry brands.

Facebook   Twitter   LinkedIn   Posts

Copyright © 2023 TradePress. All rights reserved.