A contractor on the Salem Township Hospital construction project at the rear of the hospital cut a natural gas line while removing a concrete parking lot on Tuesday.
Salem Township Hospital CEO Jim Timpe said the city gas crew and fire department responded immediately and it was determined that the gas main needed to be shut off and the broken pipe pinched off and replaced. During the ongoing work, Timpe says their partners in public works and the fire department were on site to monitor the situation. They determined the ambulance entrance should temporarily be moved to the front doors of the hospital.
The gas levels were not elevated enough within the hospital to harm any patients or visitors and after additional ventilation, the HVAC systems were returned to normal operation. Timpe says there were no gaps in care of patients and all departments remained open during the emergency situation. He notes they are grateful to the city and fire partners who helped up navigate the situation in real time to minimize any disruption in care for the community.
Salem Fire Chief Jim Cerny says a large four-inch main was cut, producing a hissing sound until the damaged part of the line was capped around four Tuesday afternoon. By 5:50, the repairs were completed by the city gas crew and the roads around the rear of the hospital had traffic restored.
Cerny says the gas line was marked but was much closer to the surface than the contractor thought and the line that was six inches underground was hit when they were removing eight inches of concrete.
