Lancaster firefighters say mold at Station 3 is causing symptoms, while city leaders insist testing found no mold problem.
LANCASTER, Texas — At the center of a dispute inside Lancaster Fire Station 3 is a disagreement over what firefighters call a potential health concern — and what city leaders describe as a cleaning problem.
The Lancaster Firefighters Association says firefighters have experienced symptoms they believe may be connected to mold exposure inside the station.
“It was brought to the association’s attention that there’s a possible mold issue,” said Raymond De Los Santos, president of the Lancaster Firefighters Association.
De Los Santos said firefighters began reporting concerns earlier this year, including rashes, headaches and allergy-like symptoms. “One member was breaking out in a rash only while he was at work,” he said.
According to De Los Santos, the association reported concerns about mold and water leaks to the city on March 30.
City documents show a third-party assessment was conducted April 1. Fire Chief Kenneth Johnson disputes the mold claims, saying the inspection found no mold and instead pointed to housekeeping concerns inside the building.
The City of Lancaster provided WFAA with a video statement from Fire Chief Kenneth Johnson. “There was concern about mold at Station 3,” Johnson said. “We did call in the third-party service to come into do an assessment at Station 3. They found that there was no mold.”
Johnson said the city has since implemented new cleaning procedures at the station. He also blamed firefighters for the conditions.
“I’m extremely embarrassed to say that the outcome was that the members at our station were not doing a proper cleaning at the fire station,” Johnson said. “Again, extremely embarrassed that we made a concern, and all of a sudden it turns back that we were the problem.”
De Los Santos strongly disagreed with the chief’s comments.
“This is the leader of the fire department blaming his members,” he said, adding that “leadership starts at the top.”
He also said the firefighters association did not receive a response from the city until April 17. By that point, the association had hired another mold inspection company, which De Los Santos said found multiple species of mold at elevated levels.
Following a deep cleaning at the fire station, De Los Santos said the association hired a second mold inspection company to confirm that mold was still present at the station.
“In the attic, it’s visible to your eyes,” De Los Santos said. “As soon as you go up there, you could see it on the rafters.”
WFAA asked an independent mold expert to review photos and assessments conducted for both the City of Lancaster and the Lancaster Firefighters Association. Ben Blaiss, chief operating officer of Mold Inspection Sciences Texas, said images from the station attic appeared to show signs of roof and HVAC leakage.
“There did appear to be significant water damage with building materials within the attic space,” Blaiss said. “Suspected microbial growth also appeared to be present.”
“That may indicate more extensive growth within the system,” he said.
Blaiss said based on all the assessments, the air samples appeared to be within normal tolerances. But he noted that air samples are only a snapshot in time.
“There’s some maintenance issues, some upkeep that could help as far as overall cleanliness, but there is potential for sources of mold that may need to be addressed by a licensed mold remediation contractor,” Blaiss said. Overall, his recommendation is to conduct further testing.
While both the City of Lancaster and the Lancaster Firefighters Association agree Station 3 needs attention, they remain divided over whether the conditions inside the building pose a health risk — and who should be responsible for addressing it.