Cody Child Development Center staff members quickly and safely evacuated 279 children from the facility on Jan. 14 following a reported gas leak.
"We had a natural gas leak the previous day, so everyone was pretty sensitive about unusual smells," said Donna Garfield, program operations specialist for Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall.
No injuries were reported as a result of the incident that occurred on the Fort Myer portion of the joint base.
"At approximately 9:10 a.m., caregiver Lakina Cole called the front desk saying that she smelled an odor in the classroom," Assistant Facility Director LoVanda Cockrell wrote in a statement to the Pentagram.
A nurse was sent to verify the odor, and the JBM-HH Fire Department was called.
"The fire department told us to evacuate the building," Cockrell continued. "We immediately evacuated the building within three minutes."
Garfield said the children were initially evacuated to the playground area as firefighters checked out the building.
As firefighters conducted their investigation, the children were evacuated to the SAC [School Age Children] side of the building, explained Garfield.
"The entire staff was amazing," she continued. "As a team, they ensured all children and staff were accounted for and identifying any that were possibly feeling the effects of the situation."
In all, about 15 staff members felt unwell and were evaluated by Emergency Medical Services. One person experienced a slight oxygen deficiency, but that individual has a "known respiratory condition," according to Garfield.
All the children were observed for indications of carbon monoxide poisoning by three on-site nurses, but none displayed any symptoms.
JBM-HH Commander Col. Mike Henderson quickly made the decision to close the facility, and center staff began reaching out to parents via phone calls, emails and social media to keep parents updated and to pick up their children.
"Although we were not able to get all the children's belongings to parents, firemen did assist in getting all the car seats and strollers out in front of the building so parents could safely get their children home," said Garfield.
Staff on the School Age side of the center also sprung into action, calling parents to let them know that buses would not be bringing their children to the center after school.
"Our awesome cook staff not only managed to feed everyone with no access to the lunch they'd already prepared in the CDC kitchen, but also held and played with the children," she said.
The facility's maintenance staff set up televisions, tables and necessary supplies, she continued.
"Although there is never a good time frame for an emergency of this kind, our staff certainly used this as an opportunity to shine, and shine they did," said Garfield.
In addition to the children, 79 staff members inside the facility were also evacuated, said Cockrell.
Cockrell received praise for her efforts during the response from acting JBM-HH Child and Youth Services Director Sunny Smith, who wrote the Pentagram in an email that Cockrell was "instrumental as boots on the ground with ensuring staff and children were taken care of."
Pentagram Staff Writer Julia LeDoux can be reached at jledoux@dcmilitary.com.
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