Greystone under fire for delay in evacuation

Some patients at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital had to try to find their own way out of a locked, smoke-filled ward in the early morning hours last week as staff sat idly by and one even slept on the job, according to a report re leased yesterday by state Sen. President Richard Codey.

The report, prepared by the state Division of Fire Safety, said a "heavy smoke condition" occurred about 1:30 a.m. Thursday in a first- floor unit of the Ellis complex, but hospital staff took no steps to evacuate the patients for seven minutes after the smoke was first noticed.

A fire alarm then sounded, causing patients to scurry from their rooms and seek a way out of the locked unit, according to the report, which detailed the incident as follows:

"Videotape indicates that when the smoke alarm was activated patients came out of their rooms and proceeded to the exit, but there was no staff present when they ar rived to open the exit doors. Patients then began frantically bang ing on the doors in an effort to get out.

"The videotape indicates that staff members were still sitting in their chairs. Videotape (also) indi cates one staff member sleeping in a chair during this incident ...," the report continued.

Eventually, some two dozen patients were led out of the building without harm, said officials.

Meanwhile, a Greystone assistant fire chief responding to the scene attempted to make contact with the 24-hour operator at the state hospital in Parsippany only to get no answer to his call, according to the report. The operator is in a separate area that was not evacuated.

Codey called the incident unacceptable and demanded an immediate investigation by acting state Human Services Commissioner James Smith.

"If this account is accurate, people should be fired," said Codey, a longtime watchdog on the care of mentally ill persons. "The situation should be rectified or lives could be lost in the future."

Ellen Lovejoy, a Human Services spokeswoman, said the inci dent is under investigation by Greystone Chief Executive Officer Janet Monroe and other officials. "It is of the utmost concern to the commissioner," said Lovejoy.

She stressed that none of the patients suffered injuries at the hospital that cares for patients mostly from seven North Jersey counties.

A state fire inspector who investigated Thursday's incident, by questioning patients and staff and compiling evidence from a videotape that monitors hospital wards, filed several fire code violations against Greystone.

The hospital was cited for failure of staff to evacuate clients in a timely manner, mechanical failure of an alarm bell -- "which falls off the wall when activated" -- and also for having staff give window keys to patients and asking them to open windows to ventilate the smoky building, according to an official report.

The smoke was caused by a bagel burning in a microwave oven in the employee lounge, according to state officials. The fire inspector found the burned bagel, which "resembled a charcoal briquette," but the microwave was missing, said Codey.

Greystone had been cited for fire code violations in June 2005 specifically for failing to correctly follow proper procedures when responding to a fire alarm activation at 10 Ellis.

"Once an alarm is activated, the alarm needs to be acknowledged by staff and clients (must be) evacuated to a safe location at all times, whether day or night," said the 2005 report signed by George Miller, chief of the Bureau of Fire Code Enforcement of the Division of Fire Safety.

In a subsequent report filed Thursday by current bureau chief Louis Kilmer, Greystone was again cited for failing to follow proper procedures when dealing with a fire alarm. The hospital also was charged with failing to notify the division about Thursday's incident. An anonymous call prompted the most recent investigation.

Greystone cares for 600 persons in a series of aging structures on a sprawling campus. A new, $190 million hospital is being built and is expected to open by late 2007 or 2008.

Lawrence Ragonese can be reached at lragonese@starledger.com or (973) 539-7910.