A foamy mess was cordoned off outside of Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) this morning after the fire alarm supporting the VGH helipad was activated for an unknown reason.
Both VGH and Assistant Fire Chief Brian Bertuzzi have confirmed that no fire was detected, but the triggering of the alarm did result in the release of a non-toxic fire-suppressing foam on Aug. 31.
"We are currently investigating what caused the false alarm," a spokesperson for VGH told Vancouver Is Awesome in an emailed statement.
The foam travelled off the helipad which is located on an upper floor of the hospital property and down onto West 10th Avenue and along Laurel Street to West Broadway.
The areas were cordoned off as a preventative measure.
"VGH staff have been working to safely dissipate the material, which takes time to fully evaporate," says a VGH spokesperson
Bertuzzi explains that fire foam is used to smother hydrocarbons to put out fires, whereas water can spread the flames. He says that the foam dissipates on its own but as pedestrians walking past the hospital noticed, it disappears slowly.
VGH assures that access to the hospital and Emergency Department remained unaffected.
"Due to the fire system activation, the VGH helipad is currently closed and the estimated time of reopening is unknown at this time," says the statement. "The hospital is actively working to resolve the issue and is collaborating with partners including BCEHS, Fraser Health and PHSA to ensure safe and timely patient access as per its usual processes."
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