McIntyre post-fire update - July 24

To all members of the Faculty of Medicine,

 

Further to the update sent on July 20, the McGill Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) has confirmed that the temporary barrier and pathways to isolate Floors 1 to 6 from 7 to 16 have been completed. However, soot that has been discovered in 25 rooms on Floors 7 to 13 and in the ventilation system serving those floors requires that these rooms be thoroughly cleaned, and filters changed, to avoid broader contamination to other labs and space. We also await results from the final assessments.Consequently, the date the EOC hopes to begin reopening some portions of these floors has been postponed to Friday, July 27, at the earliest, subject to the completion of these activities. Until the EOC confirms otherwise, the current protocol regarding building access remains in place.

 

The EOC and the Faculty are acutely aware of the concerns of our researchers on Floors 1 and 7 to 13, most urgently those related to temperatures and freezer/refrigeration units. A team has been mobilized to procure, deliver and distribute mobile air cooling units starting this evening and throughout tomorrow to mitigate potential impacts. If you have questions or requests regarding this effort, please email buildingdirector.med [at] mcgill.ca.

 

Additionally, we have requested McGill’s VP of Research and Innovation to begin reaching out to granting agencies about deadline extensions, and we will begin revisiting our own internal deadlines to possibly extend these as well, if needed.

 

In the meantime, we can confirm that the relocations of the Undergraduate and Postgraduate Medical  Education Offices, Buildings Offices and MedIT have been successfully completed. These teams are fully functional in their temporary locations and can be reached via their normal phone extensions and email addresses. Additionally, because the floors above the 13^th operate on a separate ventilation system and sustained no damage, the EOC has confirmed that the ARC can return to normal operations as of tomorrow (Wednesday) morning.

 

Regarding the offices on the north side of the 6th floor – Research, Graduate Studies, Institutional Review Board and Global Health – relocation plans are now under way. These offices will be moved to the 17th floor at 680 Sherbrooke. The goal is to relocate them by Friday, provided the required office equipment can be transferred and made functional in the next two days. We will communicate directly with these offices to provide updates.

 

I would like to thank the countless people who continue to work long hours in support of assessment, remediation and logistical activities following the fire. You have done extraordinary work in difficult circumstances, and we are fortunate to have you on the Faculty and McGill teams supporting these efforts.

 

A second information session will be held by Prof. Yves Beauchamp, McGill’s VP (Administration and Finance), and myself on Thursday, July 26, to provide the McIntyre and Faculty of Medicine community with the most updated information and to do all we can to address your concerns. Exact time and location will be communicated tomorrow.

 

We understand that securely returning everyone in the McIntyre to normal operations is a complex operation, and that every effort is being made to achieve this, based on priorities and urgencies as they arise. We also know that this is a stressful time for all involved, and I encourage you to continue communicating your concerns to us so that we can focus our efforts accordingly.

 

Sincerely,

David Eidelman, MDCM
Vice-Principal (Health Affairs)
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine