Fire stations in Oklahoma have been affected by water damage and mold which has forced firefighters to move to a different location and increase their response times to emergencies.

Fire stations in Oklahoma have been affected by water damage and mold which has forced firefighters to move to a different location and increase their response times to emergencies.

Two fire departments in Broken Arrow and Claremore, Oklahoma were shut down after flooding caused mold to spread throughout the interiors. All equipment and personnel from the stations also had to be moved to a third station in Claremore after a mysterious substance appeared in the water located in a trench near the building. Although test results came back and showed that the substance was not dangerous, city leaders wanted to take precautions regardless.

A few days before the Claremore Fire station was set to reopen, the fire chief had discovered water damage in almost every room, in the form of wet ceiling tiles and standing water in the light fixtures. He noted that mold was beginning to grow out of the vents too.

The mold was tested and shown to be non-toxic, but the mold count was high enough that people should not be occupying the building. The fire chief stated that he does not want his personnel working in those conditions until the mold is removed. Unfortunately that is taking longer than expected because city leaders found out recently that their insurance company denied the fire department?s claim for damage to the station?s roof.

Due to the firefighters? relocation, response times have been increased by a minute or two, but should not be noticeable to neighbors calling in an emergency.

The average response time for Claremore is a bit over 4 minutes- still well below the national standard for response times.

It is hard to say whether mold can be considered ?non toxic? by simple lab results, because every person is affected by mold differently depending on their immune system, age, and pre-existing conditions. If you suspect that you may have a mold problem, it is wise to get rid of the mold right away,?instead of taking the risk to wait until one of your building occupants is affected. By then it may be too late because the mold growth could have spread to different rooms, carpeting, drywall, and other areas which will cost you more money in a larger remediation job. Don?t hesitate to call MVP Environmental Solutions at any hour of any day so that we can get your life back to normal asap.

?Sources:

Dupree, Will. ?Two Fire Departments Close down Fire Stations after Discovering Mold throughout Their Buildings.??KJRH. Scripps TV Station Group, 2 July 2015. Web. 21 July 2015.