New station in foreseeable future

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Mold to level Settendown headquarters

New station in foreseeable future

JENNIFER J. HOWARD

3/29/2004

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By JENNIFER J. HOWARD

Editor@...

Alpharetta has had it. Cherokee County has had it. Now Forsyth County

is experiencing it, but not for much longer. The county is not taking

any chances with the black mold it discovered in its main fire

department building.

Fire Chief Danny Bowman got the nod from the Forsyth County

Commission Monday, March 22, to spend $11,200 to develop a report

that includes data on what the department needs in a new fire

station. Basically, it is an outfitting plan for the construction of

a new fire station on the existing Settendown Road site in Cumming.

" What we have now is an old egg processing plant with a flat room

that has leaked over the past 10 years, " Bowman said. " Over the past

six months, I've had employees suggest to me that the building may

contribute to headaches and we've had some reports of upper

respiratory difficulty in the form of a cough. "

Forsyth County hired a private contractor to examine the building.

Although no asbestos was found, mold was discovered behind the sheet

rock.

" As the fire chief, I have the responsibility for the health and well

being of all of my troops and to provide them with a safe working

environment, " Bowman said.

The current plan is to totally replace the building, and include

space for the 911 dispatch operations, fire station headquarters,

fire training division, north battalion, fire prevention bureau and

Sheriff's training center.

A new fire station, No. 5, is currently under way near Chattahoochee

and Holtz Claw roads. The $860,000 project is funded by fire fund

reserves, not money from SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales

Tax).

The fire department has occupied the building since 1993.

" We thought we had just a leaky roof, " said City Administrator Steve

Mills.

But as it turned out, there was mold in the sleeping area.

" It's cheaper in the long run to tear down the building and build a

new one, " he said.

Bids received to permanently extinguish the mold were about $4

million. Obviously, county officials balked, and discussion about a

new station began. Forsyth County officials are also discussing

temporary quarters for the firefighters and staff while the new

station is built.

Earlier this year, the Alpharetta Fire Department had to temporarily

relocate its firefighters at Station No. 5 on Mid-Broadwell Road to

the fire station on Webb Bridge Road, after an air quality study

revealed small to moderate amounts of mold in the building.

The department is in the process of gathering estimates to make

improvements to the station designed to get rid of the mold.

The mold at the station is apparently of two different greenish-black

varieties, Eurotium and Stachybotrys atra (chartarum), the latter is

of which is of more concern.

Dr.Victor DeJesus, a research scientist who studies mold at the

Georgia Institute of Technology, said " They can all cause problems if

predisposed individuals come into contact with it. Not everybody

reacts the same way. "

A person with asthma might have an asthma attack if one comes into

contact with it, whereas a normal person might not even notice it.

Healthy individuals, if in contact with it a lot, may become

sensitized to it, and develop respiratory illnesses such as allergic

rhinitis, and other kinds of illnesses, DeJesus said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, mold

exposure does not always present a health problem indoors. However

some people are sensitive to molds. These people may experience

symptoms such as nasal stuffiness, eye irritation, or wheezing when

exposed to molds. Some people may have more severe reactions to

molds. Severe reactions may occur among workers exposed to large

amounts of molds in occupational settings, such as farmers working

around moldy hay. Severe reactions may include fever and shortness of

breath. People with chronic illnesses, such as obstructive lung

disease, may develop mold infections in their lungs.

Cherokee County firefighters are suing an Atlanta construction

company for more than $60 million, alleging that mold in the three

fire stations the company constructed has made them sick. The

firefighters claim coats of primer and paint were used to cover mold

and other signs of excessive water damage and possible leaks.

M.G. Patton Construction Co. is accused of continuing to build the

interior of three fire stations before finishing the roofs, after the

roofer quit the project.

The lawsuit alleges the firefighters began suffering from asthma,

skin lesions, ear infections, rashes, nosebleeds, respiratory

illnesses and sinus infections.