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Pinedale Online > News > May 2009 > Unknown cause sickens Pinedale elementary students

Evacuation. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Evacuation
EMTs, Sheriff's Office, Fire, Public Health, County Health, and Sublette County Emergency Management all responded to the scene.

Wrangler Gym. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Wrangler Gym
37 students and two adults became ill while in the lobby of the Wrangler Gym Friday morning. The cause has not been determined.

Road Block. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Road Block
Sheriff's Office deputies blocked the road to the school to keep people away during the evacuation.

Ambulances lined up. Photo by Pinedale Online!.
Ambulances lined up
Ambulances were lined up in front of the Lutheran Church Friday morning.

Watching videos. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
Watching videos
Students evacuated in an orderly fashion to the Lutheran Church across the street where they were picked up by parents or stayed for the rest of the school day under staff supervision.
Unknown cause sickens Pinedale elementary students
School evacuated and closed as officials try to determine the cause
by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online!
Original post May 8, 2009 | Updated May 10, 2009

Editor's Update Sunday, May 10, 2009: Sublette County School District #1 Superintendent Doris Woodbury reports that Pinedale Elementary has been cleared to reopen for normal class schedule on Monday. No cause has been determined for the illnesses on Friday.
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Original story posted Friday, May 8, 2009:

On Friday morning, May 8th around 10:20 AM, several children at Pinedale Elementary School complained of feeling sick while in the lobby of the Wrangler Gym. They experienced vomiting and dizziness. Within minutes, a number of other students complained of the same thing.

School staff called the Sublette County Sheriff’s Office requesting an ambulance. Sublette County Fire Department, EMTs, Public Health, County Health, Sublette County Emergency Management, Sheriff’s Office and natural gas company all responded to the scene.

The elementary school was evacuated at that time and closed.

According to Sublette County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer, Randy Hanson, 37 students complained of the same symptoms. Two adults in the school also reported feeling ill with similar symptoms. Elementary school staff was already evacuating the students when emergency responders arrived.

Sublette County School District #1 personnel called parents of sick children and they were picked up and taken home. The school issued a media release and contacted parents about the situation. The remaining elementary school children stayed at the Lutheran Church across the street to get them out of the school and were attended to the health department and EMTs. All the children recovered quickly once out of the building. Some parents picked up their kids and other students remained there for the rest of the school day watching videos and doing activities under the supervision of school staff.

Pinedale High School Principal Dick Kennedy said, "We thank the Lutheran Church, the Baptist Church, the Pinedale Aquatic Center and the parents who picked up students. The evacuation went very smoothly."

The incident did not affect students at the middle or high school, and those students stayed in their schools for the entire day.

The fire department tested everything as best they could in the Wrangler Gym lobby. According to Hanson, they reportedly detected a slight elevation in carbon monoxide levels, but could not determine for sure that was the cause, or where it was coming from. No official cause has been announced as of the time of this report.

The area was sealed off and secured and the regional HazMat team from Rock Springs was called in with specialized gear to try and pinpoint the cause.

Sublette County Sheriff "Bardy" Bardin said, "A lot of praise needs to go to the elementary school for their evacuation plan and how it worked. They practice that."

Pinedale High School Principal Dick Kennedy said, "Everyone responded in a timely manner. The administration and staff did what they were supposed to do. We followed our evacuation plan to the letter and it proved very effective. We will do a follow-up next week on it."

Photos by Dawn Ballou-Pinedale Online, and Bob Rule-KPIN 101.1 FM Radio.



Related Links
  • www.PinedaleSchools.org - Sublette County School District #1

  • Safe Haven. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
    Safe Haven
    Students stayed at the Lutheran Church under the supervision of school staff until they could be released to parents. No child was allowed to leave without being checked out.

    Traffic Control. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
    Traffic Control
    Sheriff's Office deputies were stationed to block roads and access to the area around the elementary school.

    Command Center. Photo by Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online.
    Command Center
    The Sublette County Sheriff's Office Emergency Management Command Center was brought to the scene.

    HazMat. Photo by Bob Rule, KPIN 101.1 FM Radio.
    HazMat
    The HazMat response team from Rock Springs came up from Sweetwater County to help us out. Photo by Bob Rule, KPIN 101.1 FM Radio.

    School Gym building. Photo by Bob Rule, KPIN 101.1 FM Radio.
    School Gym building
    Officials were at the scene throughout the afternoon checking the building. Photo by Bob Rule, KPIN 101.1 FM Radio

    Emergency Responders. Photo by Bob Rule, KPIN 101.1 FM Radio.
    Emergency Responders
    Emergency response officials checked out the school building to try and determine the cause of what made the students sick on Friday. Photo by Bob Rule, KPIN 101.1 FM Radio.
    Pinedale Online > News > May 2009 > Unknown cause sickens Pinedale elementary students

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