Fire Department

Engine Company 4 was dispatched to a UnityPoint Health-Meriter hospital after an elevator broke down, trapping a critical patient inside. The patient was accompanied by a nurse at the time.

When firefighters arrived, hospital staff had the outer doors of the elevator open but could not open the interior doors. The crew needed to access the top of the elevator car, but in order to do so they would need to take the stairs up to the next floor—a surgery area that requires all occupants to wear special suits to maintain sterility.

Firefighters were given the necessary suits and put them on. They went upstairs to access the elevator hoist way and shut off the car. They opened the interior elevator doors and released the two occupants from the elevator within 10 minutes of arriving at the hospital.