Asbestos survey before Snohomish training was inadequate, report says

SNOHOMISH — Dozens of firefighters were exposed to asbestos while training in Snohomish this year, an investigation has confirmed. But the immediate health risk is minimal, fire officials say.

From February to April, nearly 150 firefighters from Snohomish County Fire District 4, South County Fire and Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue participated in training on Pine Avenue. The training included nondestructive, destructive and live fire activities at three properties.

But an asbestos contractor provided inadequate test results on the properties before training began, according to a report the three fire agencies released last week. By the time the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency flagged the asbestos survey, it was too late for some firefighters.

“We have investigated and determined, unfortunately despite following best practices and devising a plan to reduce risk to all training participants, we had employees that were exposed to asbestos,” the report reads.

Last year, Fire District 4 acquired three houses as part of a $4.3 million purchase of a 5.6-acre block along Pine Avenue, with plans to build a new fire station. It would replace Station 41, which sits on a smaller lot on Maple Avenue.

The houses at 308 Third Street, 317 Pine Ave and 325 Pine Ave were each over 100 years old. The district hired Advanced Asbestos Company, based in Everett, to test the properties.

Many buildings and household appliances — especially those built before the 1970s — contain asbestos. But it’s not dangerous until disturbed. When in the air, the mineral forms tiny fibers that if inhaled can cause long-term damage, including lung cancer, scarring and breathing difficulties.

The company’s survey of 308 Third Street detected asbestos in the roofing. Tests found more asbestos at the Pine Avenue houses. The fire department hired another company, Mount Vernon-based Environmental Abatement Services, to decontaminate the properties.

Firefighters avoided the roof at 308 Third Street but began some search and rescue training, including wall and window cutting. The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency then raised the alarm while reviewing demolition plans related to training at 317 and 325 Pine Ave. The asbestos survey was incomplete, and wasn’t up to the agency’s standards.

District 4 asked Advanced Asbestos Company to fix the reports. Workers visited the site again, but then “became difficult to contact,” Fire Chief Don Waller wrote in an email Tuesday.

Advanced Asbestos Company did not respond to The Daily Herald’s requests for comment.

Environmental Abatement Services took over the project and performed a second round of asbestos testing. In mid-April, the company found “significantly more” contaminated materials, including drywall and window caulking at 308 Third Street, according to the report. Jimmy MacEwon, project manager for Environmental Abatement Services, urged the fire agencies to halt all training until the buildings could be abated.

MacEwon said it’s rare to come across an erroneous asbestos survey. He suggested the building inspector at Advanced Asbestos Company lacked experience.

“Asbestos surveys can be overwhelming,” MacEwon said Tuesday. “I’ve been in this work for 18 years, and I didn’t start doing surveys until about six or seven years ago.”

Before firefighters used the two houses on Pine Avenue for live fire training, Environmental Abatement Services cleaned the houses and the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency approved the compant’s reports. Some parts of the houses were inaccessible for testing before a live fire or demolition, according to records obtained by the Herald. The abatement company and the clean air agency advised further testing on deeper building layers.

In May, District 4 commissioners announced potential asbestos exposures.

“Safety is of the utmost importance to us,” Waller said Tuesday. “All testing has come back that there was likely little to no exposure, although we cannot say for 100% there was no exposure.”

At least 80 firefighters from Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue, 36 from District 4 and at least 27 from South County participated in the training, officials confirmed late last month. Many, if not all, received Occupational Safety and Health Administration paperwork. The total number of exposed firefighters was unknown, according to the investigative report.

Firefighters who participated in the training could not be reached for comment.

This isn’t the first time firefighter training in the county has exposed responders to asbestos. In 2008, Everett firefighters were exposed at city-owned houses because of a miscommunication among officials. In 2011, the city of Everett settled a lawsuit with 27 firefighters and now pays for lifetime medical monitoring.

For the training in Snohomish, the state Department of Labor and Industries recommended treating the exposures as “an accident,” according to District 4 meeting notes. The district doesn’t have plans for a lawsuit at this time, Waller said. It’s unclear if firefighters are considering legal action.

Asbestos exposure accumulates over time, and signs of asbestosis and other related diseases may not show up for 30 years. On the job, Waller said, firefighters risk asbestos exposure during all emergency responses.

“Our emergency fire operations likely have higher potential exposure than in the training conducted,” Waller said.

The district won’t claim exposure risk from training at the properties is impossible, Waller said. But the risk is extremely low, he said.

“Our goal is to provide the safest, strongest, and best environment for our employees and the public,” Waller said. “We have kept this as our guiding mission throughout the process.”

After the investigation, the fire agencies’ safety committee made some recommendations for acquired properties, including:

▪ Disclosing testing and abatement surveys to all employees before training events;

▪ Having a dedicated safety officer for all destructive training; and

▪ Developing a standard training checklist to ensure consistency.

Sydney Jackson: 425-339-3430; sydney.jackson@heraldnet.com; X: @_sydneyajackson.