Nightmare scenario prevented by St. Mary’s Highland Hills staff
On the blazing hot morning of July 15, 2021, the worst nightmare of every senior living community erupted at St. Mary’s Highland Hills Village: fire.
It was about 10 a.m., and a contractor was on-site to install a powered roof vent above the assisted living area’s entrance hallway. At about 10:10, maintenance manager Brian Colley received an urgent call from the contractor: sparks at the worksite had ignited insulation in the attic. Brian grabbed a ladder and a fire extinguisher and rushed to the hallway beneath the worksite. As Brian hurried up the ladder, his colleague, Chris Childs, sounded the facility alarm and called 911.
Staff immediately began evacuating residents as Brian pushed aside a panel of the drop ceiling and got a look at the fire. It was still small, so he pulled the safety pin on the fire extinguisher, aimed at the base of the flames, and starting spraying. In moments, there was nothing left of it but smoke.
Meanwhile, it took staff just three minutes to evacuate all residents to the facility’s designated gathering place outside, even the ones with mobility issues. No one was injured, but all were worried. Staff began going from person to person, calming fears, providing reassurance, offering water, and keeping everyone as comfortable as possible as they waited in the shade of Highland Hill’s big oak trees.
“On the day of the incident, I was visiting with my parents in Assisted Living,” said Cindy Kennedy, daughter of two Highland Hills residents. “It was wonderful to see that Highland Hills’ prepared action plan was successfully completed with such teamwork & organization. Our family is grateful for the amazing people at Highland Hills!”
“I could not be more proud of all our Highland Hills staff,” said Tanya Adcock, St. Mary’s Vice President of Post-Acute Care Services. “Material possessions can be replaced, but human lives cannot. Staff response on this day serves as a demonstration of their commitment to serve and their level of excellence and dedication to the safety of all who call HHV home. They are truly heroes.”
Read the full story at twentyfourseven Fall 2021 FINAL.pdf (gha.org), starting on page 25. Our thanks to everyone at Georgia Hospital Association for helping us recognize our dedicated and committed Highland Hills staff!
Oconee County firefighters go room-to-room to ensure the fire is out and to ventilate smoke.
Clean-up work begins to remove damaged insulation and ceiling tiles in the entrance hallway and elsewhere.
Within hours, the Assisted Living facility was clean and safe enough for most residents to return, though ceiling repairs and painting would take several weeks to complete.