Leadership with Olympic Medical Center recently recognized eight members of the OMC laundry team for quickly and professionally responding to a fire in the laundry facility.

After the motor on a vintage 1961 Mangle machine — a machine that dries, folds and stacks linens — went out and sparked a fire this past June, the on-site laundry team sprang into action, OMC representatives said.

Jennifer Burkhardt, OMC’s Chief Human Resource Officer and General Counsel, said the laundry team “quickly became Emergency Response Personnel,” and because of their quick thinking, minimized the damage to simply a “dead motor” on the equipment.

Burkhardt and Director of Support Services Julie Black presented awards to environmental services laundry washer Blanca DeLeon and environmental services laundry helpers Sena Bradow, Minda Dugan, Evelia Jacobo-Sanchez, Ketta Ketchum, Katherine Richison, Cameron VanWinkle and Sonya Woolsey.

OMC provides laundry service in-house, allowing the organization to have better oversight and control over the laundering process. This work often takes place behind the scenes, OMC representatives say, yet the laundry team is crucial to maintaining an even flow of clean linen throughout the hospital and outpatient clinics.

“The appreciation that I have for this team is beyond any words and so much more than a thank you will express,” said Burkhardt.