NORTH SMITHFIELD – Town Administrator Scott Gibbs says that after conversations with the fire marshal, it has been concluded that what caused multiple staff and patients at the Fogarty Hospital property to be transported to other hospitals was not environmental, but was mechanical.
Apparently, he said, temperatures in the building had reached 90 degrees, affecting various people and causing them to be nauseous.
“Fogarty is a state-run facility and the town has limited jurisdiction,” he said of the facility now known as the Rehabilitation Hospital of Rhode Island. “Nevertheless, the town’s inspection division is reviewing the building’s mechanical systems to define the issue. No one is currently in the building pending the investigation.”
Medical staffers and patients had reported feeling ill and light-headed according to dispatch calls, and a total of nine patients (four staff and five patients) were believed to have been transported to Landmark Medical Center and Rhode Island Hospital.
Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Houle said the call came in around 7:30 p.m. Thursday for multiple sick people inside the hospital.
“Calls reported multiple people with lightheadedness, dizziness, nausea and vomiting,” he said.
They dispatched all available units to the scene, he said, and initially made it a level 1 mass casualty incident (MCI) on the reports of at least four patients.
“Our first-arriving crews made entry with CO and gas meters to check for possible leaks,” he said. “A level 2 MCI was called when we confirmed the potential of nine patients.”
Regional hazmat teams were called to the scene for further monitoring and investigating the cause. Patients were evacuated and transported to Landmark and Rhode Island Hospital. Hazmat crews monitored and tested the entire building with no findings. Building officials and property representatives were on scene.
“No cause of the illness could be determined at this time,” said Houle. “The building will remain closed to patients for more inspections and testing to ensure a safe environment for all. No further information has been obtained on status of patients transported to the hospital by the fire department. Landmark Medical Center is coordinating the present and future care of those patients.”
