On Thursday, February 16, 2023, at approximately 10:41 a.m., volunteer firefighters from Bay District responded to the Evergreen Elementary School for a pull station fire alarm.
Upon arrival, it was found a chemical reaction occurred during a routine maintenance procedure.
The assignment was upgraded to a hazardous materials emergency bringing firefighters from NAS Patuxent River, Bay District, Hollywood, and St. Mary’s County Department of Emergency Services to the scene.
The St. Mary’s County Board of Education released the following.
This morning, February 16, 2023, while a contractor was performing scheduled routine maintenance on the equipment in the boiler room at Evergreen Elementary School, a chemical reaction occurred.
The service provider immediately pulled the fire alarm as a precaution and the building was evacuated.
The chemical being used was a mild acidic inhibitor which could cause mild skin and eye irritation if directly exposed.
No students or staff members were directly exposed.
Communications were immediately established with the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to determine any necessary response actions. Power was shut off to prevent further exposure through the school’s ventilation system.
It was determined that the necessary cleanup and remediation would continue for approximately two hours.
In order to assist with remediation efforts, Evergreen Elementary School will dismiss at 12:30 PM today, with normal bus transportation provided.
St. Mary’s County Public Schools will provide an update following the completion of the cleanup. A contracted HAZMAT team is responding to assist
