Patients Safely Evacuated from Granite Rehab Through Joint Effort

Seventy-three patients were successfully evacuated from Granite Rehabilitation Wellness Center in less than five hours yesterday. Through a joint effort from Granite Rehab, CFR, AMR, Cheyenne/Laramie County Public Health, and Cheyenne/Laramie County Emergency Management staff, a patient triage/ tracking and safety system was set in place for residents as soon as the evacuation began.

Ambulances, wheelchair vans, and buses were used to safely transport patients to their destinations. Most patients were able to stay locally in Cheyenne, while others were transferred to healthcare facilities in Casper.

Deputy Chief Dykshorn with Cheyenne Fire Rescue shared, “We were faced with some tough decisions throughout the day. CFR has never faced an incident impacting this many patients from a healthcare facility. Through collaboration and professionalism, all agencies truly came together to take care of these patients like they were our own family members.”

Twenty-seven patients remain in the building, on the first floor, where electric heat is being maintained inside the resident’s room. The fire notification and suppression system are fully operational in that area as well. Granite staff will continue to care for these patients on a 24/7 watch.

The natural gas remains shut off to the building with no further sources of carbon monoxide present. Currently, there isn’t a known timeframe for when the building will be fully operational on the second and third floors.

Other agencies that assisted throughout the incident included: the City of Cheyenne’s Building and Compliance Department, Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, Laramie County Fire District 1, Laramie County Fire Authority, and Black Hills Energy.