Oxygen tank causes HAZMAT situation at Oneida Health Hospital

ONEIDA, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Around 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15, a mechanical safety alarm went off on one of the oxygen tanks in the rear hospital employee parking lot at Oneida Health Hospital.

• Clint Eastwood’s daughter arrested in Beverly Hills in domestic violence case
• Navy: Fighter jet with two on board crashed in Washington state during training
• Nebraska court allows voter registrations from people with felony convictions
• Logano gets back into playoffs following Bowman disqualification and has sights set on 3rd Cup title
• FEMA workers threatened by armed group in Tennessee

The alarm indicated high pressure within one of the tanks, said Felissa Koernig, the CEO of Oneida Health.

The Oneida Fire Department and Oneida City Police were called to the hospital and excess oxygen was released from the tank to safely decrease the pressure, Koernig said.

As a safety precaution, the Oneida Fire Department did put the campus on lockdown for 30 minutes as the situation was assessed.

Koernig says at no time was the safety of patients, residents, visitors or staff in jeopardy.

The rear hospital employee parking will be secured by the fire and police departments as the hospital works with its oxygen storage vendor to find the cause of the high pressure alarm, said Koernig.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSYR.