MFD responds to reported gas leak at Saddleback
Submitted by Maricopa Fire Department
Maricopa Fire Department crews responded to a reported gas leak inside Saddleback Elementary School at 8:50 a.m. Thursday, a morning when parents were on site reading to pupils.
No injuries were reported. School staff did an outstanding job in recognizing the issue and safely evacuated all the students prior to the arrival of emergency crews.
School staff working around the kitchen noticed an odor of gas coming from an area near the stoves. Staff members notified facilities workers and pulled the fire alarm, which prompted the efficient evacuation of the school.
Maricopa Fire Ladder Truck 571, staffed with hazardous materials technicians, used gas monitors to evaluate the air and tried to pinpoint the origin of the leak.
Other fire crews made sure everyone was accounted for and no one was still inside the school. Southwest Gas emergency response crews also responded and gave the final all clear after an evaluation of the kitchen and gas systems.
Less than an hour later, the school was returned to normal operations.MFD would like to recognize the staff at Saddleback Elementary School for conducting a well organized and fast emergency evacuation.
Although this incident turned out to be minor, in the event of a major incident, having the proper plans in place and executing them in the way done Thursday is essential to the safety and welfare of their students.
It was a community reading day at Saddleback and other schools in the Maricopa Unified School District, and parents and other community members, including firefighters, went into individual classrooms to read to students.
