Port Perry baby gets very warm welcome
Hospital fire forces mother to give birth in an ambulance parked outside the building
PORT PERRY— The Port Perry Hospital remains closed following a rooftop fire that forced its evacuation and caused millions in damage, but not even flames could stop the arrival of baby Bryce Witruk.
One person suffered minor injuries in the fire, which was caused by roofing work and started just before 7 p.m. on Aug. 25.
Seagrave mother Nicole Witruk had just entered active delivery when the fire alarm rang throughout the building, followed shortly by the power shutting down.
“At first, they said it was probably a drill, but then Ian (her husband) opened the door and there was a cop in the hallway,” Nicole recalled. “He said, ‘You can’t be in there, you need to evacuate, there’s a fire.’
“Next thing I know, Ian is saying there’s smoke in the hallway, and the nurses are throwing IV bags on top of me and they’re pushing me out the door.”
Nicole was taken to the parking lot. Once Dr. Kim Ferguson determined she was ready to start pushing, emergency crews scrambled to get an ambulance in place so she could deliver.
“It was a close call,” Ian said. “We were getting ready to hold up sheets to make a room but then EMS got there, and it was only 13 minutes after that he was born.”
The couple said they were comforted by all the staff and emergency personnel on scene, including many members of hospital staff who came in during their off hours to help during the crisis.
“Everyone was there. Dr. Ferguson was amazing, the head surgeon was there, the anesthesiologist came back — if anything happened, we would have had everyone we needed right there,” Nicole said.
“There were so many nurses and doctors and even emergency personnel there encouraging me. That was really nice because I needed it, my epidural had started to wear off by then and it was just nice to have so many people cheering me on.”
Ian said it is a moment he won’t soon forget. “When he came out and everyone heard him cry, they started singing ‘happy birthday.’ It was a really nice moment. I think we were all tearing up after, it was like a load lifted off, it was a happy moment.”
The couple credits the staff for their level of calm and expertise during the emergency.
“The staff and doctors were absolutely amazing and we couldn’t have done it without them, but more than that, it was nice to see how everyone gathered together and stepped up,” Nicole said.
“It was cool to see how amazing the Port Perry community is. I want people to realize how important the hospital is, it’s a key part of our community. They’re always so welcoming there, it’s another reason we love being a part of this community.”
The hospital remains temporarily closed while damages are assessed and teams work to determine what will be required to safely reopen.
“The origin and cause was deter- mined to be a hot-tar roofing application process that ignited nearby insulation,” said Township of Scugog fire Chief Mark Berney. “The estimated dollar loss is approximately $10 million.”
Five trucks and 20 firefighters responded, with aid provided by the Oshawa and Uxbridge fire departments. The fire was brought under control within 35 minutes, with the scene fully secured by 8:45 p.m.
Berney also had high praise for hospital staff and the various agencies that assisted with the evacuation of all 22 patients from the hospital to Lakeridge sites in Oshawa and Bowmanville, including Durham Region EMS, Durham Regional Police and Durham Region Transit. One other expectant mother was labouring in the New Life Centre when the fire broke out, but was safely relocated to Oshawa before delivery.
“I was very impressed with the actions of the hospital staff, it was quite obvious they had practised their emergency plan and they did it very well,” Berney said, noting the fire posed a unique set of challenges.
“There’s a lot of potential unknowns in terms of how many beds are occupied, what the mobility of patients is as well as the different types of gases used for procedures.”
Hospital officials are assuring residents that care will be available at other sites throughout the community while the hospital is being repaired.