No gas leak detected at Critzer; school to open Thursday
Pulaski County Public Schools
Critzer Elementary School, in accordance with guidelines established in its school safety plan, was evacuated at approximately 9 a.m. today when teachers and students reported smelling gas in one wing of the school. Students were transported home by bus or released to their parents at approximately 10:30 a.m. after a determination was made that it might be early afternoon before the building could be cleared.
The school was inspected by a representative from Atmos Energy and no leak was detected. The Pulaski Fire Department has since cleared the building for occupancy.
Pulaski County Public Schools and Atmos Energy will inspect the building again on Thursday morning before the arrival of staff and students as a precautionary measure. We anticipate that Critzer will operate on a regular schedule for Thursday, August 18, 2022.
We’d like to offer our sincere thanks to the members of the Pulaski Fire Department, Pulaski County Public Safety, Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office, Town of Pulaski Police, Pulaski County Emergency Management, Atmos Energy, the faculty and staff of Critzer Elementary, and everyone else who helped for their quick response and professional handling of this situation.
August 18, 2022 @ 11:23 am
My wife and I regularly walk the driveway of Critzer school. Several times we have noticed an odor similar to natural gas on the east end of the school. It occurs when there is a very gentle breeze coming from the east, from the direction of the sewage pumping station down the hill from the school, near the railroad tracks. Wind is usually from the west, and there is no odor by the school. Residents of homes near that pumping station are familiar with that odor.
I suspect the fire department and Atmos Energy used an MSA approved explosive gas meter to check the school to deem it safe. Purchase of such an expensive meter by the school and training in its use would be cheaper than school evacuation and repeated fire department checks.