O’Keeffe Middle School Temporarily Evacuated for Hazmat Investigation

Students and teachers across several classrooms at O’Keeffe Middle School (510 S. Thornton Ave.) mysteriously began coughing Monday morning, quickly prompting a school evacuation and a call to the Madison Fire Department.
 
Engine 3 arrived to the school at 10:06 a.m. The crew spoke with the school’s principal and others who initially experienced symptoms. They reported they did not smell anything unusual nor did they see any vapors or gases in the air. They did say the source of the airborne irritant seemed to be near a stairwell, extending from the first through third levels of the school.
 
Firefighters began passing through the school to monitor the air. As they passed through the halls, their Sensit air monitors failed to pick up anything out of the ordinary. They sent for the Madison Fire Department’s Hazardous Incident Team (HIT) to do some advanced monitoring.
 
The HIT arrived at 11:10 a.m. and did multiple sweeps of the school, particularly the areas where students and staff reportedly felt stronger symptoms. They too were unable to determine what had been in the air. The school had been ventilating over the course of the hour because several windows had been opened during evacuation.
 
Upon determining that no threat remained, the Madison Fire Department invited O’Keeffe faculty and students back into the school at 11:40 a.m. The principal and teachers were advised to call the MFD right away if any of these prior conditions returned.
 
During the incident, one student was treated by Medic 1. That student and three others, who were treated by the school nurse, were taken home by their parents.