Firefighters at a Texas department claim moldy conditions at the firehouse where they are stationed at has caused a recent rash of illnesses, leading to the station's temporary closing in April.
Respiratory issues, such as pneumonia and bronchitis, have affected several members of the Round Rock Fire Department who worked out of Station 1, firefighter Wayne Pietzsch told KXAN-TV. He pointed to leaks in the building's roof as the source of the mold.
“Guys were waking up with headaches every morning, not that they wouldn’t go to the doctor,” said Pietzsch, who added that he has dealt with at least four sinus infections in the past few months. “Just because they would push through for work, for the citizens of Round Rock, yet not feeling 100 percent.”
In February, firefighters had the station's air tested, and the results revealed high mold levels, according to KXAN. A follow-up assessment later that month conducted by an outside firm hired by the city discovered mold in a station bedroom and an office closet.
The city spent $15,000 and two months to remove the mold. During this time, a brick-covered window thought to be the source of the leak causing the mold was found.
Since April, three more station air quality tests were conducted, and while the mold content was determined to be at acceptable levels, the firehouse's aging air-conditioning system was determined to be "extremely dirty," KXAN reports. Station 1 finally was closed April 24 after a fourth firefighter came down with pneumonia
The station's closing has allowed the city to replace the duct system and remove carpeting that had asbestos in its glue, a $100,000 renovation project.
“We take firefighter safety, health and wellness very seriously, and it affects all of us," Chief Robert Isbell told KXAN. "That’s my station. I work there as well, and we were all concerned in the beginning.. …We believe that the work the city’s doing to ensure the future safety is going to make that building habitable for several years to come.”
Station 1 is expected to be open again as early August, Isbell said. In the meantime, the firefighters who became sick from possible mold exposure and had their workers' compensation claims denied by the city are appealing the decision, KXAN added.
