Fire-medics have been called to a mental health unit at Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre for a mattress fire for the second time in less than eight weeks.
On Wednesday, Red Deer Emergency Services responded to a 3 p.m. call of a mattress fire inside Unit 34 on the hospital’s third floor. The ward was partially evacuated and the fire was put out by staff before fire-medics arrived. The fire was contained to the mattress in one room.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Allan Sinclair, executive director for Red Deer of Alberta Health Services, said on Thursday that this fire on Unit 34 was smaller than the one that took place next door in Unit 36 on March 13. Hospital staff evacuated Unit 36 and adjacent units due to smoke and gases from the fire prior to fire crews arriving.
“This one was contained to a mattress and some bedding — far different from the fire last time when the sprinkler had to come on,” said Sinclair. The March fire was also more significant since there was more cleanup to do, since water seeped below.
Sinclair said they do have protocols and procedures around weapons and other dangerous items, including matches.
There’s also a policy on tobacco use.
While the hospital is largely smoke free, there are exceptions for people due to compassionate reasons, Sinclair said.
“Sometimes those would be patients in mental health where they are permitted to have smoking materials while on site and usually those are kept away from patient areas,” he added.
“But there’s always going to be some need to make sure there’s an opportunity to permit smoking.”
Sinclair said he couldn’t say whether the patient was smoking in the room since the investigation remains underway.
ltester@www.reddeeradvocate.com