SNOHOMISH — Nearly 150 firefighters may have inhaled asbestos while training in Snohomish earlier this year, fire officials confirmed this week.
But a task force said there’s “no evidence of risk to the public and very minimal exposure risk for firefighters” so far. Three local fire agencies plan to release an investigative report next month.
In April, firefighters from Snohomish County Fire District 4, South County Fire and Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue burned down two houses on Pine Avenue as part of a live fire training.
At a board meeting the day before training began, District 4 Assistant Chief Jason Hodkinson announced the houses at 317 and 325 Pine Avenue, built in 1902, were cleared of asbestos and ready to burn.
But about a month later, District 4 commissioners announced the potential asbestos exposure. This came despite the district’s “best efforts” to test and abate, according to meeting notes from May.
District 4 learned of the potential exposure after a second round of asbestos testing found contamination in deeper layers of building material, Hodkinson wrote in an email this week. The fire agencies “took immediate action,” Hodkinson said, and formed a Joint Safety Committee to investigate the problem.
“Our biggest priority is the safety of the public and firefighters,” the committee wrote in an emailed statement. “Regardless of how small the risk, we must do everything in our power to prevent a situation like this from happening again. We hope answers from this report will help us achieve that because this training helps make our communities safer.”
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. Signs of asbestosis and other related diseases may not show up for 30 years, according to the World Health Organization.
Thirty-six firefighters from District 4, at least 27 South County firefighters and at least 80 firefighters from Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue participated in the training, officials confirmed. The firefighters wore protective gear.
District 4 notified the firefighters’ union and the state Department of Labor and Industries. The district also had employees fill out an Occupational Safety and Health Administration form.
Labor and Industries “recommended treating the incident as an accident,” according to District 4 meeting notes.
Firefighters who participated in the training could not be reached for comment.
A year ago, Fire District 4 acquired the 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, a smaller lot on Maple Avenue.
The district hired Mount Vernon-based Environmental Abatement Services to test and clean the houses, and got approval from the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency before using the houses for training. But 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.
The fire agencies’ safety committee drafted an initial report this month, and plans to have a final report in early October.
Sydney Jackson: 425-339-3430; sydney.jackson@heraldnet.com; X: @_sydneyajackson.
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