FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Fire Rescue rushed to evacuate a hospital in Fort Lauderdale after the building temporarily lost power.
Crews responded to Kindred Hospital after the building lost power just before 2:30 p.m., Friday. Paramedics transported a total of eight of the hospital’s 50 patients before power was restored, just before 3 p.m.
Officials said the power inside the building never actually went out. Back-up generators kicked in and continued to power the building. However, the air conditioning systems did not work.
“They let us know they had a lot of patients that were on ventilators, and they were just concerned that the heat would get to them, so they wanted to move the patients out,” said Fort Lauderdale Deputy Fire Chief Timothy Heiser.
Maria Ramos, a mother of one of the patients, said she goes to the hospital everyday to visit her son who is fighting cancer.
“The lights came on for a little bit, went off, came on again,” Ramos said. “It was a little warmer, but not like hot. They started bringing out the portable ACs.”
Reminded of the deaths of over a dozen patients after the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills lost power after Hurricane Irma, hospital employees decided to be proactive and move their patients in case the power didn’t come back.
“At no time was any patient care compromised. This was an extremely proactive move by this hospital, that learned from the stakes of the hurricane to say, ‘Wait, if the AC’s not working, we can’t just wait until it gets hot in here. Let’s get things moving along,’” said Heiser. “The hospital worked with us when we said, ‘Let’s get people moving just in case.’ They never hesitated. Patient care was number one. [They were] thinking about them the entire time.”
In a statement, the local Kindred Hospital CEO said in part, “We evacuated seven intensive care patients to Broward General. At the time the patients were evacuated, the building was without backup emergency power.”
Florida Power and Light said the problem was in the building. Repair crews worked to fix it, Friday evening.
The hospital is meant to serve patients who need long-term critical care.
All of the patients who were transported appear to be in good condition.
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