Officials prepare to test the helipad fire suppression system atop the new seven-story building on the Memorial Hospital campus Tuesday.A surprise sleet storm did not prevent officials with Memorial Health System, Life Force and other emergency responders from testing an emergency flame retardant system at the new helipad at Memorial's Glenwood campus on Tuesday.
While Memorial has had a helipad for medical air transport located at the edge of its campus since 2006, the new one is located atop the hospital, with easy access to its new 300,000-square-foot North Tower, or "heart tower."
"There is an elevator that goes straight up to the helipad, so our most critical cases can be taken straight to or from the helicopter," said Memorial spokesman Joshua Ball.
The new tower and the helipad are part of Memorial's $318 million expansion and renovation project, which has been ongoing for the last three years.
The expansion is expected to be completed later this year.