My wife and I are parents of two children at Hamilton Elementary in East Richmond. We wanted to say a profound thank you to the countless people who assisted us all during the Mercapitan gas scare at the school today.
I received the call from my daughter and one of the Hamilton staff while working at home this morning. I'm sure you can understand that the words "Daddy, there's a gas leak at the school, and they're taking me to the hospital" can be more than a little heart stopping to a parent. The Hamilton staff person came on the line and calmly explained the background of the gas leak in our area, that my daughter was okay, and that the children were being taken to a hospital to be checked out as a precaution.
As I arrived at the school, there were a large number of ambulances, fire trucks, gas company trucks, police vehicles, etc. It was obvious that in spite of the size of the problem they were facing, all of the people involved, from the school, from the emergency services, from the utility companies were calm and capable as they managed the problem, the children and the frightened parents. It was clearly "under control." The paramedic sitting with my daughter was very kind to her, and I was confident she was in good hands. After assuring our daughter that we would join her at the hospital, I went through the school to locate my son. The school principal, Al Sakai, did a marvellous job of keeping everyone at the school informed of what was happening and how they were handling he situation moment to moment. Every one of the Hamilton Elementary staff was kind and helpful, and doing their best to walk the parents through the event.
When we arrived at the hospital, the children were processed in small groups as they came off the bus. The hospital had set up an acceptance desk outside and was efficiently working through the paperwork for admitting the children into the emergency department. In spite of the numerous children, 67 as I understand it, the hospital staff and volunteers again demonstrated kindness and professionalism to all throughout the process. The Royal Columbian hospital staff were very straightforward and calm about the whole event, and already had some information handouts for the parents to help explain what the gas was, and what to expect in terms of symptoms. The hospital even set up a separate waiting area for the parents, including some refreshments, which was very kind. At regular intervals, Dr. Roy Morton, the Medical Director at Royal Columbian came out to reassure the anxious crowd that the children were fine, and to answer any questions we had. The hospital volunteers kept circulating through the crowd, and making sure everyone was comfortable and to make sure we were okay as well. The medical staff at the Royal Columbian hospital did an amazing job of getting all the children through the check up process and back to their parents as quickly as possible.
I cannot imagine what it must have been like for you all to try and deal with this, and am so thankful that it turned out to be something relatively innocuous.
I sincerely wish I could thank each and every person involved for their kindness, their professionalism, and their care of our children. They mean everything to us. I just hope you all have a chance to see my letter of thanks, and to understand that you are appreciated.
Thank you,
Geoff Murray
