Castle Hayne Station 13 under fire over firefighter health concerns

CASTLE HAYNE, NC (WWAY) — The International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) has concerns about the safety of certain firefighters who operate out of Castle Hayne.

Back in December, the Association sent a letter to several New Hanover County officials.

It claims firefighters who have worked at station 13 on Castle Hayne Road have a higher than normal amount of serious health issues.

According to a health survey conducted by the Association, 12 out of 23 firefighters who spent long periods working out of that station have been diagnosed with a variety of gastrointestinal-related cancers and health issues.

Peter Leff is the General Counsel for the Association.

He said it’s hard to believe firefighters are still being asked to work there with the fire station’s ongoing issues.

“The major question is why are those firefighters still at that station, given everything that’s gone on? They have a mold problem at that station that they can not fix,” Leff said. “They have not been able to cure it. They have tried. They brought in professionals to remediate it and the mold problems persist.”

Along with mold, drinking water the firefighters used was found to have high levels of PFAS.

A spokesperson for New Hanover County said a two-stage granular carbon-activated filter has been installed at the station and a new fire station currently under construction is expected to open this September.