The Herald Bulletin
ANDERSON, Ind. — A mold problem is requiring the city of Anderson to close Station 2 of the Anderson Fire Department for approximately two weeks starting on Monday.
The firefighters and equipment from Station 2 will be moved to headquarters while the mold problem is mitigated by Reeder Heating & Air and Shepherd Homes, Inc.
The type of mold and location in Station 2 was not available on Saturday.
Station 2 is located to the east of Jackson Park in the 2300 block of West 22nd Street.
Anderson Fire Chief Phil Rogers said the department was made aware of the mold problem about a year ago.
“The firefighters in the station were getting colds more often,” Rogers said. “We tested the air at Station 2.”
Rogers said fire protection coverage in the area will not be impacted while the mold mitigation work is undertaken.
The distance from Station 2 to the three nearest stations ranges between two and four miles.
It is approximately three miles to fire headquarters, 44 W. Fifth St.; four miles to Station 4, 621 W. Cross St.; and two miles to Station 6, 133 W. 29th St.
“The welfare of our citizens is important,” Rogers said.
Mayor Kevin Smith said it was the opinion of Rogers that the work to mitigate the mold problem in Station 2 should be done immediately.
“The firefighters were expressing concerns about their health environment,” Smith said. “We wanted to mitigate the mold problem because firefighter safety is a priority for the city.”
This is the second fire station that is experiencing a mold problem.
There has also been a mold problem at the fire headquarters in recent years.
Rogers said the mold is confined to the front office area of Station 1.
“We’re going to wait until the study is done,” he said of a planned study this year to determine if a new headquarters station will be constructed near the intersection of Meridian and 19th streets.
During the 2015 budget sessions the Anderson City Council and Smith administration agreed to a $40,000 feasibility study to determine the cost of a new headquarters building, estimated at $4 million, as compared to rebuilding the existing building, estimated at $2.7 million.
At the hearings Rogers said there were mold, structural and efficiency issues at the existing headquarters station.
Smith said mold continues to be an issue at Station 1.
“We are hearing about a lot of issues with mold,” he said.
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