Three fire stations closed because of mold California

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In full protective gear, workers from TSC Restoration Inc. clean the

mold problems at the Valley Center main fire station and

administration offices Thursday

Waldo Nilo

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http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2005/06/03/news/inland/23_08_196_2_05

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Three fire stations closed because of mold

By: JO MORELAND - Staff Writer

NORTH COUNTY ---- A fire crew sat outside rural Valley Center's main

fire station at noon Thursday, munching lunch next to a rented motor

home.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection crews that

man the station, headquarters of the Valley Center Fire Protection

District, are eating plenty of picnic meals these days after mold

temporarily forced the closure of the big red station on May 24. The

firefighters are living in the motor home.

A mold problem also shut down a Deer Springs fire station two months

ago, and a Ramona fire station was closed because of mold almost

three years ago.

" We have three different stations that are all chasing the same

(mold) issues, but they're all under contracts " to North County fire

or water districts, said the administrative chief of CDF

headquarters in San Diego County, Alan Black, on Thursday.

The contract districts have to pay to temporarily house working fire

crews until the mold is removed or new stations are provided,

authorities said.

A downy or furry growth caused by fungi, mold tends to grow in damp

or wet places, including wet walls and leaky ceilings, and under

buildings where water collects.

This year's rainfall, the third highest in the county's history, has

also caused water to collect under homes, office and government

buildings, said Ron Berry, president of TSC Restoration, which is

removing the mold from the Valley Center station.

" The (mold) levels that we're seeing are astronomical, " Berry said.

Flaring allergies, colds, headaches and other medical problems can

occur as mold builds, Berry said.

Mold in a fire station causes the same problems as in a home,

because fire crews live as well as work in the buildings on shifts

that can last 24 hours to three or four days.

If it's in a headquarters, such as the one in Valley Center,

administrative services for the entire district can be affected.

Authorities are trying to get the administrative offices reopened

today, and the rest of the station by the end of the month.

In the Deer Springs Station 2 area, the concern is mainly about

getting emergency calls.

" Our radio communications have been disrupted, " said Deer Springs

fire Capt. Dick Gardner.

He said he doesn't think the crews have missed any calls, because

they are carrying portable radios, and dispatchers are making phone

as well as radio calls to the station.

Cramped quarters are also a problem. CDF crews are making do in a

rented motor home in Valley Center and a single-wide mobile home

each in Deer Springs and Ramona. Privacy and proper mattresses are

memories for now.

" We want our old station back, " Valley Center firefighter Joe

Basinski said with a smile. " You don't have any of the home comforts

that you're used to. "

The heavy winter rains are believed to have caused a roof leak that

led to attic mold at the Valley Center station on Lilac Road, near

Valley Center Road.

Valley Center fire Chief O'Leary said the fire district might

have to use about $65,000 in contingency funds to pay for the mold

cleanup and temporary housing.

" We're working with the insurance company to see if they're going to

cover it, but it doesn't look very promising, " O'Leary said. " There

are mold exemptions in the contract. "

Rainwater collected under the used double-wide mobile home that has

housed Deer Springs Station 2 at 1321 Deer Springs Road for about 11

years, firefighters said. The station has had mold problems in the

past.

Deer Springs fire Chief Rich Bolton said it would cost too much to

fix that aging station, so a new modular home has been purchased and

should be ready to use in mid-July.

The district will pay the estimated $175,000 for the new station and

rental of the temporary housing out of reserve funds, Bolton said.

Firefighters started finding mold almost three years ago in the

walls of Ramona's Fire Station 82 at Dye Road and Highway 67. The

modular building didn't have any eaves to funnel rainwater.

Ramona fire Chief Mike Vogt said the station was shut down then, and

those crews will continue to live in a rented trailer until a new

station can be built for around $500,000. The groundbreaking might

be late this year.

The Ramona Municipal Water District is paying for the station with

fire-mitigation fees collected from new development, said Tom

Brammell, the district's general manager.

At a glance

Who: Valley Center, Deer Springs, Ramona fire districts.

What: Working to open or replace three fire stations.

Why: Mold caused by rains, leaks have forced station closures.

What's next: The districts are cleaning, buying, building stations.

On the Web: www.epa.gov/iaq/molds/moldguide.html

Contact staff writer Jo Moreland at (760) 740-3524 or

jmoreland@....