Eastern Maine Medical Center

Hascall & Hall was brought in to address significant safety issues concerning the rooftop helipad at Eastern Maine Medical Center (EMMC), a flagship hospital facility located on the Penobscot River serving not just the city of Bangor but up to half the geographic area of Maine.

This project at EMMC was representative of many similarly complex projects we encounter, in the sense that we may not always execute our work on the building the very same year we establish a relationship with its owner. The time it takes from our initial contact with a client to actually initiating a project can sometimes extend months or even years. The parties responsible for making repairs to a building may need to clear numerous hurdles before they gain the funding, approval, and/or permits required to undertake even the most crucial of projects. This was one of those long-awaited projects, but well worth the wait.

Upon a thorough project review conducted by working closely with EMMC personnel, Hascall & Hall identified several critical areas of work. Once final approval was given, a project management plan was put in place. The work had to be completed as expediently as possible because Life Flight of Maine would need to operate from an alternative, off-site location for the duration of the project. Meeting a deadline is important for every job, but this one had particular immediacy because a delay could easily translate to lives being lost. The hospital kept detailed records of the impact the alternate helicopter landing location made on critical patients' access to emergency medical attention.

Not only had the landing area used by Life Flight of Maine become seriously deteriorated, but the extreme Maine weather had created several additional hazards that needed to be addressed. The hospital needed a landing area that was visible in even the foulest of weather. Conditions around the landing area for the Life Flight helicopter were substandard. The landing area was insufficiently visible due to fading and substantial cracking. The landing pad's wind wall lacked the correct lettering, creating a further landing hazard. These combined issues posed unacceptable standards for the helicopter to land safely, especially considering the unpredictable nature of weather conditions in North-Central Maine.

In addition, the rooftop approach path to the helicopter for responding medical professionals was extremely irregular. The staff not only had a hard time getting an empty gurney to the waiting patient, but once the patient had been moved to the gurney, the additional weight made wheeling the critically ill or injured patient off the roof very rough and difficult. This increased the response time to treatment, a hospital performance procedure timed to the second from the moment a call to Life Flight of Maine comes in.

Another factor heightening the urgency of the project was that water seepage from the rooftop had been noted in one of the electrical rooms that lay directly beneath the landing area, posing an additional safety hazard. With the project thoroughly evaluated, we were asked to recommend the best product for waterproofing the roof; to make the medical approach path both smoother for quick response, but slip-resistant for safety; and to make sure that the landing area and wind wall were as visible as possible and in complete compliance with Federal Aviation Administration guidelines for landing areas.

In preparing the concrete rooftop we began by first power-washing the entire surface, then laying out the landing area and gurney path. All random cracks were then routed out for the application of a highly flexible caulking to withstand the severe weather conditions. Next we shot-blasted the entire landing area and pathway using our self-contained shot-blast equipment. Once the above work was completed, the entire area was primed, and subsequent coats of urethane deck coating were spread, followed by a topcoat with a nonskid finish that was also applied to the entire area, making the entire roof watertight and slip-resistant.

Once the product had cured, we were able to stripe the sides and the landing cross, ensuring that the area had the requisite colors and luminosity to be in full FAA compliance. The adjacent wind wall was also coated, and the numbers defining the location and elevation were brought into FAA compliance.

The remainder of the concrete roof had a clear waterproofing applied to the surface, thus completing the essential waterproofing. The EMMC can rest safely in the knowledge that the water leakage has been stopped in such a highly sensitive area of the facility.

All in all, in the course of performing exterior work in the state of Maine, this was a straightforward project with an element of heightened awareness for the crew. When we took into account the fact that Life Flight of Maine had to be relocated to another landing area during the process—adding critical transportation time for patients once the chopper landed—there was new meaning brought to the old adage, "Time is of the essence!" We were charged with completing the project in two weeks, and did so, despite the occasional electrical storm and other issues one can regularly count on from Mother Nature in Northern Maine.

At Hascall & Hall we love our work,
and it shows

We pride ourselves in the creativity, flexibility, ingenuity, experience, and superior workmanship we apply to each and every one of the projects we undertake. Browse through our gallery of projects representing an extensive body of work spanning over six decades. Then contact us at 1-800-464-1481 for a free consultation, or to speak with one our flooring contractors or restoration experts. Let us give your project the attention and know-how it deserves.