Massachusetts Firefighters Fight Mold in Their Station

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There is a problem at the headquarters of the Framingham Fire Department, a mold problem. The city of Framingham, Massachusetts along with Fire Chief Gary Daugherty are working to fix the problem that seems to lie in the heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) system, according to the Boston Globe.

The air ducts for the HVAC system are ten times larger than they need to be and they are bringing in too much damp, humid air from outside. The summer heat is causing the mold to grow, Capital Buildings Project Manager Doug Goddard told the Metro West Daily News.

"The system is basically overdesigned for the building, according to what the engineer is saying," Daugherty said. The air ducts may be large because they were installed before the department installed an exhaust venting system for their apparatus.

The mold problem is causing uneasiness in the department even though air quality tests have been done, by both the state and a consultant, and the air is safe to breathe.

"The guys are a little nervous," said firefighter Peter DeVito, president of the Framingham Firefighters Local 1652 union. "We're frustrated."

"It's frustrating for everybody," Daugherty said. "It's frustrating for me, it's frustrating for the people who work here. It takes up a lot of our time that we could be spending on other issues."

The building has had problems "for quite a while," he said. This time, they hope to permanently eliminate the problem. The town has hired a microbiologist, industrial hygienist and engineer with $70,000 Town Meeting raised last year, according to the Daily News.

Yesterday, the carpets were taken out and the ceiling tiles were scrubbed, according to the Globe.

Next, the inside air ducts will be scrubbed and disinfected and the flexible ducts will be replaced. Then they will close the outside air dampers, bringing less outside air in to the building. Town Manager Julian Suso expects this can be done within the next 30 days.

Additional humidity control devices might be installed if necessary, according to Goddard. "We don't want to endanger anybody's health," he said.

"Everybody's working together to get it squared away," Daugherty said.


Author:Barbara Brooks - Fire Department Network News