MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — Officials said Julius West Middle School in Rockville was evacuated following a carbon monoxide leak on Monday.
In a post on the X platform, Pete Piringer with the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services said crews were called to the middle school on Great Falls Road around 11:30 a.m. for a carbon monoxide alarm.
Piringer said crews were monitoring the CO levels. The leak was possibly coming from the boiler room.
As of Monday afternoon, there were no reported injuries or illnesses.
Piringer said an early dismissal plan was being organized for students.
Julius West Middle School evacuated due to carbon monoxide leak | DC News Now
Florida –
This is an interactive resource for educators, school staff members, and those who work with/in school systems – as well as the parents who send their children into their care. It is customizable to fit your unique school – and can be used for any school you may rotate to throughout your education, career, or job roles.
Making your school safe against carbon monoxide | CO Safe Schools (carbonmonoxideinschools.org)
WESTON, FLA. (WSVN) – – Five people were transported to the hospital after a hazmat incident happened at a high school in Weston.
Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue and several other fire departments arrived at Cypress Bay High School, located at 18600 Vista Park Blvd, Friday morning.
7Skyforce hovered over the scene, where crews with masks entered the building and assisted people outside.
Once crews were inside the school, they detected high levels of carbon monoxide coming from the cafeteria.
According to officials, several school workers in the cafeteria reported that they were feeling lightheaded and nauseous. They are expected to be OK after receiving treatment.
“Once again they were consistent with carbon monoxide exposure: weakness, dizziness, headache,” said BSFR Chief Michael Kane.
Four cafeteria workers and one firefighter who responded to the school were treated at the scene and transported to the Cleveland Clinic with minor symptoms.
No students were affected by the incident.
“Firefighters made contact, they were able to determine there was a carbon dioxide leak occurring inside the cafeteria in the school. There were no students inside the cafeteria at the time,” said Kane. “Hazardous materials teams were requesting to respond, and they did. They determined that there was carbon monoxide leak occurring in or near the cafeteria. In an abundance of caution, the entire network of gas piping to the school was shut off.”
The cafeteria was evacuated, and all gas to the building was shut off.
Students were dismissed at noon.
“This was my concern. Now I can’t – now I’m calling him, and he doesn’t answer,” said a parent. “Hopefully they’re OK.”
Although students weren’t harmed due to the gas leak, some told 7News they could smell the gas.
“I walked in there like my eyes start tearing up like the gas leak was everywhere. I couldn’t see anything,” said a student.
“I was in my classroom, and I smelled gas through the air vents,” said Nicolas Karageorgos, a student.
We were all panicking in class figuring out how we gonna leave,” said another student.
“I was scared ’cause that’s, like, a really serious thing, and when I heard people were sent to the hospital, it was stressing me out,” said Isabella Santa Cruz. “I’m glad they worked it out and everything is good.”
As far as leaving school early on a Friday, we heard no complaints.
“Did you feel anything,” said 7news reporter Brandon Beyer.
“Only joy, got to leave school early because I had a quiz in my last period, and I got to skip it today,” said a student.
Students were sent home while crews ventilated the building.
“So we can assess, fix and also test over the weekend, so we can be back to normal operations on Monday,” said Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Howard Hepburn. “Just to make sure we find, pinpoint where this leak is. So out of an abundance of caution, we want to make sure everybody is off campus.”
The cause of the leak is now under investigation.
“In total, five people were treated at the scene — including four school employees and one firefighter…Further investigation revealed that there were elevated levels of carbon monoxide in the school’s cafeteria…the hazardous materials teams secured the propane gas system that supplies the school.”
Five hospitalized after carbon monoxide leak at high school in South Florida (cbs12.com)
The school went virtual for two days following multiple reported carbon monoxide exposures on campus last week. Officials said all of the school’s carbon monoxide detectors will be tested while students are at home…It looks great on paper, there’s nothing there, everything’s testing 0, but three days, people have tested for CO poisoning…”
CEDAR CITY, Utah (KUTV) —
Canyon View Middle School will hold remote learning this week while the building is tested for carbon monoxide, days after it was evacuated due to suspected exposure.
Canyon View Middle School to hold remote learning days for carbon monoxide testing (kutv.com)
Coventry, VT –
“The affected students and adult had been in a classroom closest to an outside construction site on the school property. While heavy machinery was running outside, air conditioning was running inside the building, pulling outside air in…It’s likely that the carbon monoxide came from the operation of the heavy equipment.”
Carbon monoxide exposure at Vermont school prompts class cancellation, hospitalizations | Fox News
Rowan County, NC –
“One was laying on the floor pretty much unconscious at that point, and then one more, kind of in the seats slumped over…Not really talking or moving.”
7 students treated for carbon monoxide exposure after getting sick on school bus – WSOC TV
Kansas City, MO –
“Crews believed the leak started in the boiler room. The facility had two boilers and they were working to determine which boiler has the leak.
District officials said a building contractor was on-site at Longfellow last week and no issues were noted at the time.”
Kansas City emergency crews sent to Longfellow Elementary carbon monoxide leak (kmbc.com)
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) –
Seven Bowling Green Junior High students and an employee have become ill after elevated levels of carbon monoxide were detected in the school’s kitchen.
The following communication was sent to families of students at Bowling Green Junior High.
“Earlier today, an employee in the cafeteria became ill, which was determined to be caused by elevated levels of CO2 in the kitchen. The entire school was checked by the Bowling Green Fire Department, and determined concerns were isolated to the kitchen and cafeteria area. Upon further investigation across the school, seven BGJHS students indicated they were experiencing symptoms, and were also evaluated by medical staff…”
OLEAN, NY — Washington West Elementary School was evacuated Wednesday after firefighters found two construction workers in “obvious distress with levels of carbon monoxide present in their blood,” according to a press release from the City of Olean Fire Department.
Firefighters responding to the scene determined that six people were suffering from carbon monoxide. Two were taken to Olean General Hospital; four were treated at the scene.
According to the press release, the incident was caused by propane powered construction equipment that was operated in an area with minimal ventilation.
PR2022-07-06_WashingtonWest.pdf (cityofolean.org)
Carbon Monoxide Causes Evacuation of Washington West | Greater Olean, NY News TAPinto
“Ashley Wilson couldn’t shake the worry of her son getting carbon monoxide poisoning at school.
It may not be the first concern that comes to mind when a parent thinks about their child at school, but for Wilson, the worry was warranted.
In February 2020, her family suffered carbon monoxide poisoning after the boiler in their former apartment was leaking. There was no detector installed to indicate the presence of the colorless, odorless, potentially deadly, gas.
She would try to reassure herself that the schools were safe but decided she needed to reach out after she heard news about 17 people being sent to the hospital after carbon monoxide levels reached dangerously high levels in a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee dorm.
To Wilson’s surprise, the Appleton Area School District told her there aren’t detectors in any of the school buildings.
State law doesn’t require them in schools, but it does require them on every level of Wisconsin homes. According to the state Department of Health Services, carbon monoxide poisoning sends about 500 Wisconsinites to the emergency room each year…”
Appleton schools to add carbon monoxide detectors following mom’s plea (postcrescent.com)
“…an incident with a pizza oven that has a faulty burner and a worker was overcome by (carbon monoxide) fumes.”
“In their own timeline of events, Richmond Public Schools said those vital alarm panels never called the Richmond Alarm Company because 8-0-4 was not recently added after Verizon changed operations requiring local calls to include the area code.”
Duxbury, MA –
“The Duxbury Fire Department was called to Alden Elementary School, at 75 Alden Street, for a possible gas leak. The Alden School custodial staff made the call after noticing an odor in the gym…elevated Carbon Monoxide levels were found in a mechanical room in the gymnasium due to a malfunction with the HVAC system…”
High CO Levels Reported in Duxbury Elementary School – NBC Boston
Sending your child off to college?
Remember to pack a CO alarm
A CO alarm or combination smoke/CO alarm with a 10-year sealed battery is a great optionHere’s a look at some new and notable laws that take effect July 1 in Virginia (wtvr.com)
Fayetteville, NC – “The detection of carbon monoxide Thursday morning, prompting the evacuation of cafeteria staff at Brentwood Elementary School…”
“When you book your first post-COVID-19 vacation rental, do you know if the hotel you book or home you rent requires CO alarms? The Fire Protection Research Foundation conducted a literature review to summarize existing requirements for installation of CO detection devices and consolidated the available and pertinent non-fire CO incident data.”
“Texas Gas Service said the carbon monoxide monitors in the area also went off”!! 
https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/gas-leak-at-east-austin-elementary-school-friday-aisd-tells-students-to-stay-home/?fbclid=IwAR1mll2QMAEUqbO6kc4fxMBn1yEXknuKglv_RsyNBtqoYwnl9pDRPuCIK9Q
Franklin Square Elementary/Middle School – Baltimore, MD
Plympton, MA – “When the carbon monoxide detectors went off in Jackson Randall’s house last month, the 7-year-old knew exactly what to do.
“I went to my meeting place and I got out of the house,” Jackson said.
Jackson learned about fire safety plans at Dennett Elementary, then had his family implement their own escape plan.”
“Building owners should be especially concerned about brick chimneys…Inspect the chimneys for loose bricks. If the chimney provides ventilation for a fireplace or appliances such as furnaces or water heaters, make sure it still vents…also encourage building owners to ensure they have a working carbon monoxide detector.”
“Here we are taking a lead on putting CO detectors in our schools when we don’t have to and showing that we take the safety of our kids seriously.”
Kate Bond Middle School, Cordova, TN –
We are excited to be kicking off our annual CO awareness effort in local elementary schools as part of Fire Prevention Week! This year will include hands-on activities focused on the lifesaving value of CO alarms at both Mint Valley Elementary and Robert Gray Elementary…followed by a free CO alarm distribution event at the Longview Fire Department Open House on Saturday, October 12, 2019. A big thank you to the principals and teachers at these schools for their participation…and to our local business sponsors (who will be recognized here on our website as well as our Facebook page) who make this project possible.
Lees-McRae College – Banner Elk, NC
School closed as students test positive for carbon monoxide at Crestview Elementary School in Waldport, Oregon…https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2019/04/classes-canceled-at-oregon-coast-school-after-students-test-positive-for-carbon-monoxide.html
Pershing Elementary School in Lincoln, NE, evacuated for CO leak… Read here. (Lincoln Journal Star)
Rainbow Elementary School in Madison, AL, evacuated for high CO levels related to broken boiler…https://whnt.com/2019/03/07/rainbow-elementary-closed-after-boiler-malfunction/
NO CO alarms at a Hendersonville, TN, preschool where children were poisoned…https://fox17.com/news/local/at-least-28-treated-for-carbon-monoxide-exposure-at-hendersonville-preschool
Evacuation of Owings Mills, MD, school…https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2019/02/25/owings-mills-carbon-monoxide-leak-evacaution/
CO leak at a KinderCare in Tinley Park, IL…https://wgntv.com/2019/02/21/high-levels-of-carbon-monoxide-make-students-teachers-sick-at-suburban-kindercare/
Fleetwood Area Middle School in Fleetwood, PA, CO leak poisoned 2 adults and 6 children…http://www.wfmz.com/news/berks/fleetwood-area-middle-school-closed-friday-after-carbon-monoxide-sickens-several/1005712549
A CO leak forced the evacuation of students and staff at Sugarloaf Elementary School in the Florida Keys…https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/florida-keys/article225335180.html
Students and staff at elementary school in Elizabeth, NJ, are safe thanks to early alert of CO leak by alarm…https://www.tapinto.net/towns/elizabeth/articles/update-elizabeth-fire-department-called-to-elementary-school-for-elevated-carbon-monoxide-levels
Partial evacuation at Union-Endicott High School in Endicott, NY…no injuries thanks to early alert by CO alarm…https://wbng.com/news/local-news/2019/01/16/carbon-monoxide-alarm-forces-partial-evacuation-at-u-e-high-school/
Students and staff at Ashley Elementary School in Salt Lake City, UT, were alerted to evacuate when a CO alarm went off…https://www.ksl.com/article/46465453/vernal-elementary-school-evacuated-due-to-carbon-monoxide-alarm
KUDOS to Midstreams Elementary School in New Jersey for protecting their students and staff with carbon monoxide detection – school was evacuated and there were no injuries…http://brick.shorebeat.com/2018/12/recently-installed-carbon-monoxide-detectors-caught-leak-in-midstreams-elementary-school/
CO leak at Clyde Boyd Middle School in Tulsa, Oklahoma…several students hospitalized…leak discovered after multiple students went home ill…district says it will install CO alarms at all school buildings in district and supply handheld monitors at each site…http://www.newson6.com/story/39546855/middle-school-students-treated-after-sand-springs-carbon-monoxide-leak
High levels of CO found in Lonsdale Elementary School in Knoxville, Tennessee…no CO alarms onsite…https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/education/2018/11/12/high-carbon-monoxide-levels-temporarily-close-lonsdale-elementary/1975344002/
Girard, IL – “At least 150 people were treated at hospitals for the incident, which occurred the morning of Sept. 15, 2014. After a handful of students came forward with symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning around 9 a.m., school officials made the call to evacuate. The lawsuits, which names the school district, as well as several contractors and architects, says the leak originated at two natural gas boilers, which the school utilized to generate its hot water. An employee with Springfield-based HVAC company Burgess & Son was performing maintenance work on the boilers the morning of leak, and according to the lawsuit, failed to repair a “break or separation of a vent pipe connection in the vent system for the aforesaid hot water heaters.”
https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/article/Three-more-lawsuits-filed-in-2014-North-Mac-12729370.php
“March 17, 2014, started off just like any other day: I dropped off my five-year-old son Ryan at the Douglas Municipal Center, adjacent to the Douglas Elementary School. He hurried inside the municipal center, where kindergarten is held, along with 76 other kindergartners and their teachers. The weather was cold, so the building’s heating system was on. No one realized that somewhere inside the building a furnace was leaking a deadly gas and everybody inside was in danger.”
https://www.telegram.com/opinion/20161004/as-i-see-it-why-schools-need-carbon-monoxide-detectors
Girard, IL –
“At about 8:45 a.m., North Mac Intermediate and Middle Schools were evacuated, after approximately 150 students and faculty were exhibiting symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning — nearly 60 people have been transported to local hospitals.”
North Mac Students Rushed to Hospital for Carbon Monoxide Scare (nbcnews.com)
“…complaints allege that when a 2003 building addition to the school was designed and constructed, the venting system for the hot water heaters in the mechanical room was defective, causing a modification to be made to the vents that extended the vent pipe high above the roof and required guy wires. According to documents produced by the school district under the Freedom of Information Act, one of those guy wires to the vent pipe was found after the accident to be broken, according to a press release from the Nolan Law Group.
A district employee and the plumbing/heating contractor had noticed a break in the vent pipe inside the building the week prior to Sept. 15, 2014, and performed a temporary repair that did not hold…”
19 Nov 1982, Fri
Image credit: newspapers.com
“An epidemiologic and clinical investigation of 184 persons exposed to toxic levels of carbon monoxide (CO) in a public high school has been carried out. Exposure to 500 ppm of CO for periods up to 150 minutes resulted in carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels as high as 30% and symptomatic illness in 87% of persons exposed before the possibility of mass CO poisoning was recognized.”
MENU
