Fire chief says district response 'worked' after gas-odor call at Maple Point

Frank Ferry, identifying himself as the fire chief of Langmore Milltown Fire Company, told the Neshaminy School District board that emergency responders and district staff executed a coordinated response after a Jan. 14 report of an odor of natural gas at Maple Point.

"The system worked," Ferry said, describing a rapid response that included double metering with low readings, primary and secondary searches of every room, and coordination with PECO, Middletown police, and multiple local fire companies and EMS. He credited district staff — including "Mister Sokol" — and said students were evacuated and accounted for safely.

Ferry said crews upgraded the assignment to a full first-alarm to bring additional resources, and that while the gas reading was low and not at a combustible level, crews acted out of caution. "If it got in a contained environment and continued leaking, we would certainly have problems," he said, adding that the planning and training appeared to make the incident function like a successful drill.

Board members did not take formal action on the incident during the meeting. Ferry closed by making himself available to answer public concerns and by reiterating that the response protected students and staff.

The board did not announce any follow-up report on the event during the session.