Crothall Healthcare
When a water main burst, EVS floor technicians saved Allegheny General Hospital from disaster
When a water main burst, EVS floor technicians saved Allegheny General Hospital from disaster
By sydney | Published: 2025-05-15 19:25:00 | Source: Crothall Healthcare
When a water main broke at 5 a.m. and more than 1,000,000 gallons of water leaked, flooding several hospital buildings, Crothall’s dedicated EVS team jumped into action.Â
The flood occurred at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh on December 4, 2024. But thanks to 12 floor technicians from Crothall EVS, the hospital continued to operate as usual, only needing to move some outpatient services. Because Crothall’s team maintained plenty of safe space for patient care, there were minimal delays in patient services.Â
“Floor technicians working 12-day shifts grabbed their machines and quickly moved to everywhere the buildings were flooded,” said Eric Brown, director of EVS at Allegheny General. “They worked throughout their shift to prevent water from damaging offices, exam rooms, wards, elevators and other spaces in the hospital.”Â
Water flowed into the hospital for about seven hours. But they were equipped with car washers, wet vacuums, mops and other flood equipment, and floor technicians redirected water away from patient and visitor areas. In conjunction with housekeepers and floor technicians on all three shifts, they continued removing water and waste over the next seven days.Â
Together, Brown estimates they worked about 250 hours over seven days, pulling people from regular work areas and with overtime to finish the job. After removing the water, they scrubbed and polished the floors while most of the housekeepers disinfected and cleaned the building.Â
“The hospital leadership team was very grateful for our response to the flood and our ability to contain the water without impacting patient services,” Brown said. “I think it demonstrated how much value we can provide during emergencies, and increased their level of confidence in our capabilities.”Â
The hospital honored its first floor technicians as Employees of the Month for December 2024. They include Cody K, Donald W, Guna S, Damar R, Justin G, Jesse M, Alex Z, Deron G, Dawn O, Walt Z, and Deion H.Â
From left to right:Â
Back – Cody K, Donald W, Jonah S, Damar R, Justin G, Jesse M, Alex ZÂ
Front – Deron J, Don O, Walt ZÂ
Sitting – Dion eÂ
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