Wichita firefighters reported burning eyes and throats after mold was discovered during remediation at Station 15

By Allison Campbell
The Wichita Eagle

WICHITA, Kan. — A Wichita fire station has been evacuated after mold discovered during remediation work left firefighters with burning in their eyes, noses and throats, Vice Mayor and Wichita City Councilman Dalton Glasscock said.

In a Sunday afternoon Facebook post, Glasscock said that mold was found in 20 of the city’s 22 fire stations — including Fire Station 15, which has since been evacuated.

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Glasscock said mold was found in the Lincoln & Rock station over the weekend after its ceiling tiles were removed during remediation work. He said firefighters reported burning in their eyes, noses and throats, and additional testing is being conducted. Station 15’s crews have since been reassigned to another station, he said.

In his Facebook post, Glasscock attributed the mold to deferred maintenance for in-need city facilities.

“This is exactly what happens when known problems sit unresolved for years,” Glasscock wrote. “They don’t fix themselves they escalate. Station 15’s closure results in longer response times and delayed emergency service for the residents and businesses who depend on us most.”

Brad Banz worked for the city of Wichita Fire Department for more than 20 years. On Glasscock’s post, he said the mold is reflective of what is by no means a new issue for the station and the department.

“The fire department has put bandaids on the stations for as long as they can because they have not been given the budget to fix them the right way, or in the case of Station 15, tear it down and start over,” Banz wrote. “Proper budgeting by the fire administration and council would have prevented issues like this from occurring, and maybe the fire department wouldn’t have to be going to the taxpayers to get sales tax money either to get funding for what should already be in the budget and getting remediated.”

Station 15’s evacuation comes weeks ahead of the special election where voters will decide whether to implement a 1% citywide tax. If approved, up to $225 million would go to support city police and fire facility construction, maintenance and equipment.

Members of the Wichita Firefighters Union and Glasscock could not be reached immediately for comment.

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