Tampa Firefighters Working with Rats and Mold

TAMPA – Firefighters working in one of the city’s oldest fire stations have complained about mold and an infestation of rats in the building where they work and sleep.

For up to nine months, firefighters at Station No. 10 on North 34th Street reported regularly hearing rats scamper in the space between the first and second floor. Parts of the station also had a foul smell of rat urine.

Rat droppings would regularly fall from a loose ceiling tile when a bathroom door was opened, according to a complaint given by a firefighter to Councilwoman Lisa Montelione. Firefighters also had to throw out food after rats invaded food lockers.

Photos taken by a firefighter show stained ceiling tiles and three dead rats in a glue board trap.

“I do understand that the tiles shouldn’t be replaced until the rats are completely gone but continuing to be showered with feces doesn’t seem like a fair option either,” the firefighter wrote in a complaint.

City officials said the station was inspected by a pest control firm last month, the fourth time since November that the firm has treated the infestation. Glue board traps were laid and city facilities workers recently cut back nearby trees that may have provided a route for rats to enter the roof of the station.

Stained ceiling tiles have been removed and the station is scheduled to have all its tiles replaced over the next few months, Public Affairs Director Ali Glisson said.

“We have had no complaints from those working at the station since April,” she said.

City records show that the two-story brick station built in 1928 has also suffered from mold in the past.

Mold was detected in the captain’s quarters and a bathroom in 2013. An inspection found elevated levels of Cladosporium and memnoniella spores in drywall.

Cladosporium only rarely causes health issues to humans but can cause several different types of infections, including skin, eye, sinus and brain infections, according to the Centers for Disease Controls. It has also been associated with allergies and asthma.

Memnoniella can cause throat irritation, eye and nose itchiness and rashes and affect people with asthma.

The mold was the result of a leak, Glisson said and was treated. Subsequent tests for mold were negative.

The city conducted another test for mold on Friday and is awaiting results from that.

“We do air quality tests as needed as well as whenever someone vocalizes a concern,” Glisson said.

Montelione said conditions must be bad for firefighters to complain as they tend to be the type who just get on with the job.

“I don’t believe any of the council members want to see these types of conditions for the people who put their lives on the line for us every day,” she said.

Councilman Guido Maniscalco said he plans to visit the fire station himself to see firsthand the conditions there.

He said the city may have to look at hiring a roofer if the problem persists.

“At least the city is taking steps, but if the problem is not solved, there are other things we can do,” he said.

codonnell@tampatrib.com

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Twitter: @codonnellTBO