Building Fire

As you may have seen in media coverage, the Wildlife Center of Virginia suffered a building fire December 16, 2004, the result of an incubator over-heating. Fortunately there were no human or patient injuries, due to calm and quick action by WCV staff and local emergency professionals.

The fire occurred in the room housing the Center's core data and telecommuncations network, and HVAC equipment, however, leaving us with significant equipment and building damage.

The incubator was on a rack next to the window (in the foreground of the photo on the right, below), igniting a plastic storage container and the exterior wall. The first employee to arrive that morning discovered fire on the outside of the building, and overcame phone difficulties to notify emergency services. Had the fire been discovered any later, or happened during a busier hospital season, the results would have been far, far worse.

Data equipment damaged in the fire included a Cisco Integrated Access Device (IAD) running long-distance VoIP services, Cisco 515 PIX Firewall, 2600-series router, two 3548 Ethernet Switches, two UPS units, two servers, one-half of the building's Cat5e plant, patch panels, and two cabinets. The voice telephone system suffered heavily, including a Comdial KSU and all wiring. Amazingly, most of the services ran throughout the event, while melting, inhaling heat, fire suppressant and water.

The building's well-known geothermal heating system is functioning and survived remarkably well, despite the geothermal pumps being literally in the fire. Might we call our HVAC robust and also well-installed? :)

The staff and our contractors have done an amazing job of cleaning up and repairing the building, and adapting to the disruption. A whole box of gold stars is due the Waynesboro FD, WCV volunteers, staff and contractors...

Whew.

	click for larger size
	Photos courtesy Kurt Plowman

18 Jan 05 :: rp