MELVINDALE (WWJ) - A group of Dearborn firefighters had to spend the night in their rigs instead of their usual firehouse.
The president of the Dearborn Firefighters Union, Jeff Lentz, says Station Five, on Oakwood Boulevard in Melvindale, developed mold from flooding a couple of weeks ago and it remains a health hazard.
Firefighters, who work in 24-hour shifts, spent the night in their rigs at the Melvindale Civic Arena parking lot after the mold was discovered by cleanup crews on Wednesday. The discovery occurred when a piece of dry wall was removed and revealed mold on a previously unexposed wall.
"When I first found out that the station was closed, I was relieved that our firefighters were not being exposed to any potentially harmful mold or any other type of airborne hazard," said Lentz. "But when I was told that they were being forced to be housed outside in freezing temperatures for over 16 hours with no other place to relax or try to get some rest and no relief of other crews coming to relieve them I was a little upset. It is a definite safety issue."
Lentz said he's not sure why Fire Chief Joseph Murray made the decision to leave the firefighters outside all night long.
"He refused to allow them to be housed at a neighboring firehouse and also refused to allow other crews from other stations to rotate over to that location to give those crews assigned to Engine 5 and Rescue 5 some relief and some rest," said Lentz.
Rest is especially important for firefighters who need to be alert and aware when on duty, Lentz added.
"We're responsible for making life and death decisions on a split-second basis," he said. "We understand that we do work 24-hour shifts so there are many days where we are sleep deprived because of the 911 calls. But we are provided areas to try to get some sleep and some rest so we are refreshed to be able to make those split-second decisions when those 911 calls are sent over for us and we respond to the citizens that we protect."
Officials say they are in the process of getting rid of the mold damage, which is described as extensive. Air quality tests are expected back later Thursday.
"We should be told if those mold spores are harmful or if they're not harmful," said Lentz. "But in either case, the mold still needs to be abated and the hazard litigated. The drywall still needs to be removed by a professional company in accordance with national and local standards and our firefighters need to be housed at a station that provides them with some type of place where they can relax with bathrooms and sleeping quarters and showers."
According to city officials, it is thought that the mold is most likely due to a previously unknown leak from the station's laundry system and is unrelated to the sewage backup, which happened Jan. 9.
If environmental testing determines that remediation is required and cannot be completed by late Thursday, the city says accommodations will be made for the firefighters assigned to Station No. 5 to sleep inside the nearby Melvindale Civic Arena.
