McIntyre Post-fire Update & Invitation to Special Information Session

To all McIntyre Medical Sciences Building occupants and others affected by the McIntyre fire,

 

As a follow-up to yesterday’s update regarding the fire at the McIntyre Medical Sciences Building, we would like to update you on the progress of the work being conducted, as well as to reconfirm the protocols in place. We understand this update may be of less importance to some Faculty members on this distribution list, and we apologize in advance if this is the case; however, it is very important to us that these updates reach as many people as possible who may be affected in different ways by the McIntyre fire.

 

·       Firstly, as already communicated, the McIntyre remains closed through to at least Sunday, July 22, so that assessments, security measures, cleanup and other critical activities may continue as swiftly as possible.

 

·       Secondly, take note that the McGill central team together with my team will hold a Special Information Session for all McIntyre occupants and others in the Faculty who may be affected this Thursday, July 19, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the Strathcona  M-1 (Leblond) Amphitheatre.

 

·       Over the last few days, the McGill and expert teams onsite have confirmed the structural integrity of the building, repaired fire security panels that sustained damage and reactivated the elevators. As already communicated, the holdings of the Osler Library have been secured and remain largely undamaged. Areas throughout the McIntyre sustained varying degrees of impact, ranging from broken windows to water damage to soot permeation. We must continue to monitor potential impacts as building systems return to normal – for example, how ventilation changes may affect airflow in the building, potentially circulating soot into otherwise less-affected areas.

 

·       For those floors that sustained serious damage, namely the 5^th and 6^th floors and a smaller administrative area on the 7^th floor, efforts are under way to relocate the teams to space that has been made available to the Faculty in this emergency situation. These include the Undergraduate and Postgraduate Offices, Administrative Excellence Centre 12 and Building Services. The Med IT group will also be relocated. The status of the offices on the north side of the 6^th floor will be determined in the coming days.

 

·       With respect to research labs, as communicated yesterday, this is a priority for the McGill teams and experts in their remediation efforts, and we know they are of great concern to our research community. Where a case is urgent and essential, you may submit a request to access the McIntyre, with security escort, for a maximum of one hour. The protocol we communicated yesterday remains in place, that is:

 

1.      Identify one person as delegate in your lab.

 

2.      You or your lab delegate emails the request for access to buildingdirector.med [at] mcgill.ca (subject: McIntyre%20fire%20inquiry) , providing the necessary details.
(Thank you for consolidating your lab needs in one email, which will accelerate the assessment and response time.)

 

3.      On receipt, each request will be reviewed by one research manager with the depth of knowledge to assess the situation.

 

4.       The research manager will confirm by email whether access will be permitted and when.

 

Do not present yourself at McIntyre if you have not completed the above steps, as you will not be able to enter.

 

 

While the work continues, the Faculty of Medicine is closely monitoring the situation to make the best possible decisions, given the extenuating circumstances. As progress is made, decisions will be revisited and adjusted with the concerns of our community foremost in mind.

 

Once again, we thank you for your cooperation and encourage you to join us at the Special Information Session on Thursday. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to consult the frequently asked questions posted online.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

David Eidelman

Vice-Principal (Health Affairs)

Dean of the Faculty of Medicine