City council recently acknowledged the sub-par conditions in which the Havre Fire Department lives and works.
It lists a slew of issues, including asbestos in the ceiling, diesel exhaust in the truck bays creeping into the building, and its oldest ambulance—more than 20 years old—constantly breaking down.
“The ceiling texture in the office, living quarters, and truck quarters has broken loose and covers the firefighter’s beds, desks, trucks, and other surfaces,” the report says. “Assistant Chief Courtnage took the liberty to send a sample in for testing and it did test positive for asbestos fibers, which the safety committee reviewed and verified. It was reported to the committee that city administration has known about this for some time and no progress has been made to remedy this serious health concern.”
Furthermore, the shooting range below the department is inadequately ventilated, with tests showing that lead levels in the air are much higher than they should be, according to a report in hilinetoday.com.
It adds that city officials have known about the health concerns for years but chose to do nothing. In fact, meeting minutes seem to indicate that the lead concerns were first brought up in May 2018, according to the report.
One city official says he was only notified of the issue within the last month or two, and he adds that the city will now test for lead, asbestos, and other carcinogens, the report notes.
A special meeting on the matter has been rescheduled for Thursday at 1 p.m. at City Hall.