Mums-to-be evacuated after fire alarm sounds warning

The importance of an adequate fire alarm system has been highlighted by the evacuation of a Coventry hospital ward.

Fire broke out above the ante-natal ward and a general ward at University Hospital in Coventry last week, the Coventry Telegraph reports.

However, the existence of a fire alarm meant fire crews were quickly on the scene and patients could be moved to other parts of the hospital before anyone was subjected to danger.

Indeed, Andy Hardy, the chief executive of University Hospital, said the patients moved were completely unaffected by the incident and that 90 per cent of the people in other areas of the building were unaware that there was an issue at all.

Detailing the facts of the incident, Mick Birch, operations commander for West Midlands Fire Service, told the news provider: “Nine fire engines arrived because the room serves the ventilation system.

“It set the fire alarm off on the first floor and was puffing out smoke. Crews very quickly located the fire and, as a precaution, 40 patients were evacuated.

Mr Birch added that the cause of the fire had yet to be determined.

According to the Watford Observer, the triggering of a fire alarm led to more than 12 hospital staff being evacuated from their accommodation in Vicarage Road on Monday night (August 30th).