Students taken to hospital; heat could be responsible

Two Castle Dome Middle School students were transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center as a precaution Thursday afternoon to be evaluated for possible heatrelated illnesses.

Yuma Fire Department spokesperson Mike Erfert reported that a pull station alarm was received from the school, which is located at 2353 South Otondo Drive, just before 1 p.m.

The school was in session at the time, and when firefighters arrived on scene, the school was already in the process of being evacuated. Erfert said firefighters worked with school officials to confirm there was no fire in the school and determined this had been a false alarm set off by a student.

“The process of determining no danger existed took about 20 minutes before students could begin reoccupying the school,” Erfert stated.

After the school had been reoccupied, students began to report to the nurse’s office with various heat-illness-type symptoms such as upset stomachs, dizziness and headaches.

YFD personnel evalu

ated seven students while school nursing staff saw other students with more minor complaints. As a precaution, two students were transported to YRMC for further evaluation.

Temperatures Thursday afternoon were expected to reach 115 degrees and would have been close to that at the time of this incident. Erfert explained that false alarms draw off precious resources from where they are needed.

“This afternoon saw multiple calls for service responding to medical emergencies, downed power lines, and fires,” Erfert said.

Besides putting others at risk, as with Thursday’s dangerously hot temperatures, responses to those in life threatening emergencies can be slowed and response times lengthen by false alarms.

The student who pulled the alarm has been identified, and Yuma police officers are investigating the incident.