[Vision2020] in case y'all missed it -- Gritman ER flood

[Art Deco]

Dan,

Thank you for your volunteer work again.  The percentage of irresponsible 
fools in our area seems to be climbing annually.

W.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dan Carscallen" <areaman at moscow.com>
To: "'Vision 2020'" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Monday, May 07, 2007 6:34 AM
Subject: [Vision2020] in case y'all missed it -- Gritman ER flood


> 'twas quite an interesting Saturday to be a volunteer Firefighter/EMT in
> Moscow.
>
> Some dorkus malorkus evidently had a hit-and-run with a motorcycle, then
> while fleeing that scene hit the fire hydrant that is just to the south
> of the ambulace bay at Gritman.  The water then flooded down into the
> ambulance bay and into the ER.  My wife and I, along with several other
> firefighters and EMTs (and a few passers by) spent a good 3-4 hours
> armed with squeegees helping to get the water out and turned it over to
> the flood damage professionals.
>
> The story from Sunday's Trib follows, and this morning's article after
> that.
>
> DC
> --------------------------------------------------------
>
> May 6, 8:06 PM EDT
>
> N. Idaho emergency room forced to shut down
>
> MOSCOW, Idaho (AP) -- The emergency room closed at a hospital here when
> 18 inches of water flooded the area after a car hit a fire hydrant near
> the hospital's ambulance bay.
>
> The radiology department, admitting area and same-day surgery center at
> Gritman Medical Center also closed Saturday when water, mud, gravel and
> landscaping bark entered the building.
>
> "From the time the person hit the hydrant, in less than five minutes we
> had a foot and a half of water," Pat Riley, the hospital's emergency
> director, told the Lewiston Tribune.
>
> Kara Besst, chief financial officer of the hospital, did not immediately
> have a damage estimate.
>
> Emergency patients were diverted to hospitals in Pullman, Wash., and
> Lewiston. The emergency room was up and running again on Sunday.
>
> Assistant Police Chief David Duke said 21-year-old Daniel Raymond
> Valasek of Moscow lost control of the 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse he was
> driving and slid into the hydrant.
>
> Duke said Valasek left the scene but was later arrested for
> investigation of driving under the influence.
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ---
> Emergency room at Moscow hospital reopens after mishap
>
> Monday, May 7, 2007
>
> MOSCOW - The emergency room at Gritman Medical Center reopened and the
> hospital is seeing all patients.
>
> The ER and much of the first floor of the hospital closed Saturday
> afternoon when a motorist hit a fire hydrant near the ambulance bay. The
> accident sent water, mud, gravel and other debris rushing into the
> hospital.
>
> The ER was relocated to the hospital's outpatient clinic and officials
> were able to reopen in the new location by late evening, said Jen
> Pfiffner, marketing director for the medical center.
>
> "The water has been cleared out, repairs have begun and we are seeing
> all patients," she said.
>
> Patients were diverted to emergency rooms in Pullman and Lewiston during
> the shut down.
>
> A damage estimate was not available Sunday but workers have already
> begun to remove items damaged by the water.
>
> "We are looking at everything and seeing what needs to be repaired as
> far as the structure itself and equipment," she said.
>
> A 21-year-old Moscow man who allegedly hit the hydrant was arrested for
> allegedly driving under the influence.
>
>
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