Fire station mold forces firefighters to sleep in their trucks

Black mold discovered during repairs caused the Michigan station to be temporarily shut down

January 24, 2020 05:18 PM

Dearborn firefighters said they were forced to sleep outside in their running trucks after their station was temporarily shut down due to black mold.

DEARBORN, Mich. — A mold problem has forced some Detroit-area firefighters to sleep in their trucks while working their 24-hour shifts.

According to FOX-2 Detroit, Dearborn firefighters at Station 5 on Oakwood Street said they discovered a black mold problem that was apparently caused by flooding inside of the station that occurred a few weeks ago. The mold was discovered when a piece of drywall was removed on Jan. 22. The drywall removal was part of final repairs undertaken by the City of Melvindale following a sewer backup at the station on Jan. 9.

Firefighters say they could not stay in the station, so they had to sleep inside their running trucks outside the building at the Melvindale Community Center.

Dearborn Firefighters Union President Jeffrey Lentz told FOX-2 that he is happy the fire chief decided to shut down the station, but he doesn’t agree with where firefighters were placed.

Test results for the mold were expected sometime late Thursday. If the environmental testing determines that remediation is required and cannot be completed by then, accommodations will be made for the firefighters to sleep inside the Melvindale Recreation Center, Dearborn Fire Chief Joseph Murray said.

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