Fire Station Mold Sparks Comp Claims

Tuesday, December 27, 2016 | 1

Mold in Indian River County fire stations that apparently sickened firefighters, prompting dozens of workers’ compensation claims, seems to be returning despite $2 million in cleanup efforts, according to news reports.

Fire officials have notified the county that there’s mold in Station 11 in Wabasso, Treasure Coast Newspapers reported last week.

Station 11 was one of the four that tested positive for mold toxins and poor air quality in 2015. The testing followed years of firefighter complaints about irregular heartbeats, headaches, muscle spasms and respiratory illnesses related to the air quality at the stations, according to the news report, and about 68 firefighters filed workers' compensation claims.

County testing confirmed mold toxins in four fire stations. But according to a toxicologist hired by the county, the mold levels were too low to harm firefighters unless they had allergies.