Rural/Metro hit by mold

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Rural/Metro hit by mold

Sunday, February 10, 2008;

Trading Markets - Los Angeles,CA*

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Mold has forced the closure of two Rural/Metro stations in recent

weeks, the most recent being the Foothills station.

According to August, Rural/Metro division general manager, the

general deterioration of the structure and mold infestation have

prompted the company to vacate its Station No. 2 and temporarily

move into a house in the vicinity.

" The old building is just not safe for people to be there anymore, "

August said. " We chose not to expose any of our employees to it. "

The three-person fire crew assigned to the station, August said, had

been working out of a fully contained travel trailer on the lot.

August said the station will be moved into the home at 10333 E. 38th

Place until a new Station No. 2 can be built.

" It takes time and logistics to move a station, but certainly the

mold made us push it forward, " August said. " We need to have a fire

engine in that part of town. This temporary move will allow our fire

and ambulance crews to be located in the same response area. "

The old station, a double-wide trailer at least 25 years old, was in

bad condition, August said, with deteriorating pipes and a roof that

had been damaged by a storm. The cause of the mold, August said, is

water leaks under cabinets in the building.

" We've been dealing with issues with keeping the building fixed over

the years and it was just getting worse, " August said.

He said the company has already signed a lease on the new 38th Place

home and they planned to start moving into it today.

" Hopefully it won't be too noisy while we are there, " August

said. " We won't be using our siren when we are in the neighborhood. "

The ambulance crew, August added, has been moved into a room at

nearby the Microtel Inn and Suites, 11274 S. Fortuna Road, and will

respond to their calls from that location.

He also said Rural/Metro is currently working with a developer to

build a new station on North Frontage Road and Interstate 8.

" We are trying to get it built as soon as possible, but it will

probably be eight to 10 months, " August said.

But Station No. 2 isn't the only Rural/Metro station that has been

put out of commission by mold.

August said the company has also had to close down Station No. 4,

which houses an ambulance crew and a reserve fire engine and is

located at 6780 E 32nd St.

He went on to say service in that area has not been disrupted

because the ambulance crews patrol the area in two-hour shifts

throughout day, waiting to respond to a call.

For that station, August said Rural/Metro has signed a lease for

property in the 4900 block of East 30th Place, but it won't be until

March 1 before they can relocate the station to it.

In addition to the ambulance crew, August said, the relocated

Station No. 4 will also house the Rural/Metro Wildland Fire

Division.

Although no mold was found there, August said Rural/Metro is in the

process of cleaning Station No. 3, located at 32nd Street and Avenue

B.

August said as a precaution they are replacing all the carpet inside

the building and cleaning out the air ducts.

" We did this when people started notifying us of the issue, " August

said.

August also said the company has long-term plans to build a new

station, sometime within the next three to five years, in the

vicinity of County 15th and 5E, due to the tremendous growth in that

area.

--

Gilbert can be reached at

jgilbert@... or 539-6854.