When a water main broke at 5 a.m. and released over 1,000,000 gallons of water, flooding multiple hospital buildings, Crothall’s dedicated EVS team jumped into action.
The flooding occurred at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh on Dec. 4, 2024 But thanks to 12 Crothall EVS floor technicians, the hospital continued to operate as usual, only needing to relocate some outpatient services. And because the Crothall team preserved plenty of safe space for patient care, there was little delay in patient services.
“Our 12 day-shift floor technicians grabbed their machines and quickly moved to every place the water was flooding the buildings,” said Erik Brown, the EVS Director at Allegheny General. “They worked their entire shift to prevent water from damaging offices, exam rooms, suites, elevators, and other space in the hospital.”
The water flowed into the hospital for approximately seven hours. But equipped with auto scrubbers, wet vacuums, squeegees, and other flood gear, the floor technicians redirected the water away from patient and visitor areas. Combined with housekeepers and floor techs on all 3 shifts, they continued to remove water and waste for the next seven days.
Brown estimates that, together, they worked about 250 hours over seven days, pulling people from normal work areas and with overtime, to finish the job. After removing the water, they scrubbed and burnished the floors while most housekeepers followed up by disinfecting and cleaning the building.
“The hospital’s leadership team was extremely grateful for our response to the flood and our ability to contain the water without affecting patient services,” said Brown. “I believe it demonstrated how much value we can provide during an emergency, and it increased their level of confidence in our capabilities.”
The hospital recognized the first-shift floor technicians as the 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.
From left to right:
Back – Cody K, Donald W, Guna S, Damar R, Justin G, Jesse M, Alex Z
Front – Deron G, Dawn O, Walt Z
Sitting – Deion H
