By:Angela Marshall
Hundreds of Meadow School students and staff were evacuated Friday, June 1, when a small plane crashed on the building's roof. The pilot's condition was unknown.
Called to the scene when teachers heard a thump on the roof, Baldwin firefighters found the damaged plane at about 10 a.m. Smoke billowed from the roof as firefighters worked to secure the area.
Chief Christopher Neville, who was in charge of the scene, closed the school after a gasoline spill from the crash was spotted.
District employees followed an emergency plan created for such an occurrence. All Meadow children were walked to the middle school. A call placed to Principal Duffy White had alerted him to clear out the gymnasium.
The children remained there the rest of the day and were not allowed to be picked up early by parents.
The District Office on Hastings Street was turned into a Parenting Center, where concerned parents could find out information about the crash and any additional injuries. None were reported.
Clerical workers from Meadow School and the District Office were immediately set to work notifying parents about the crash and the new pickup place, using the emergency cards filled out by parents the first week of school. These were removed from the building by school nurses.
The nurses helped firefighters set up a Medical Command Post near the Jackson Avenue entrance and remained at the ready.
The pilot's identity remained unknown. Firefighters immediately called the FAA once they learned it was a downed plane. We gotta find out where this came from, said Jerry Brown, spokesman for the fire department.
Four engine companies, two ladder trucks and two rescue units responded to the scene. Police from the First Precinct were also on hand to secure the scene.
Before classes resumed on Monday, the Town of Hempstead Building Department inspected the school for structural damage caused by the crash.
