Thousands of San Diego firefighters were repeatedly exposed to asbestos and lead in the buildings at the city's fire academy, putting them at risk for diseases, according to an investigative TV report.
Records show that the San Diego Fire Department delayed putting in place a comprehensive plan to eliminate the fire academy's asbestos issues for 15 years, KNSD reports. The documents also show that the city minimized the danger presented by the asbestos.
At least one firefighter asked to be let go as an assistant instructor at the academy because of "growing over the presence of asbestos," according to KNSD. The fire department's cancer awareness and prevention manager also was taken off an asbestos abatement project after he turned in "an evidence-based paper" that pointed out the health issues at the academy, the TV station reports.
"When we heard that there was potential long-term asbestos exposure, we were furious," San Diego Fire Captain Jesse Conner, president of the firefighters union, told KNSD. “One of the repeated mistakes over the years was that the fire department never fully addressed the problem. They continued to put interim solutions in place.”
