MA Fire Station's Air Quality Alarms Officials

ORLEANS, MA—Firefighters, paramedics and EMTs have long suspected that the air quality inside the fire station on Eldredge Park Way is inadequate, according to Chief Geof Deering.

Tests and surveys done by the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment, as well as architectural, engineering and environmental firms, confirmed those suspicions.

The Board of Selectmen recently approved spending an additional $48,000 to prepare a design for necessary changes to the station to address the problem.

"This is a short-term fix to a bad indoor air quality situation," Selectman Kevin Galligan said. "This is not a situation we want to leave in place."

The design is expected to be done ahead of town meeting May 11, where the board hopes to have a better understanding of what the work will cost. Estimated costs are currently between $200,000 and $400,000.

The station's current layout has vehicles parked beneath the day room, kitchen and bunk rooms. But the layout lends itself to the migration of fumes from running vehicles. Plymovent tubes connect to vehicle exhaust systems, but once vehicles are pulled outside, their fumes migrate inside and upstairs.

A 2018 survey conducted by the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment showed that the upstairs areas had a slight negative pressure compared with the downstairs, allowing for some air to be sucked upstairs. The survey showed areas of imbalance and incorrect air flows.

A survey done by MacRitchie Engineering Inc. in December showed that some exhaust fans were not working at their designated flow rates. The section of the station housing rescue vehicles had no exhaust fans at all.

Air flow in some areas of the building was negligible. The bunk rooms, which were put in long after the station was built in 1988, were built without input from professional engineers, and staff members have long complained of stuffy air in the rooms.

Air locks between vehicle bays and doors to upstairs living quarters, laundry and exercise rooms do not exist.

Three rounds of indoor air quality testing in January compared the levels of carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and ultra-fine particles in selected locations. Although the first two tests showed acceptable levels of the compounds, the third test was more alarming. That test required the vehicles to be running and pulled out of the bays for five to 10 minutes while crews did maintenance checks.

Strong fumes made their way to the front portion of the second floor within five minutes. A large increase in the amount of ultra-fine particles and VOC levels were found in certain living areas.

MacRitchie Engineering provided three options for improving the air quality, ranging from a three- to five-year fix to a 20-year fix.

According to Ron Collins, the town's buildings and facilities manager, the reports showed that particulate matter from vehicles and soot from turnout gear was getting into the HVAC system.

"These reports quantify what we thought," he said.

The quickest fix would involve installing a dedicated outside air system, a new exhaust system for the vehicle bays and rebalancing the HVAC systems on the upper level of the station. Upgrades to the electrical system would also be made.

Collins said the improvements are necessary because of an evolution in building codes, accessibility requirements and the complexity of fire and rescue service demands.

"We may not have bids in hand before the town meeting, but we should have estimates," he said.

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