Inside New Hanover County Fire Station 13 ahead of CDC evaluation

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will be evaluating Fire Station 13 in New Hanover County due to concerns over its current operating conditions.

Fire Station 13, which opened in the 1980s, was originally designed to serve as a volunteer-only facility. Over the years, the building has shown signs of aging, prompting concerns from fire officials.

Fire Chief Donnie Hall, who has served as New Hanover County’s Fire Chief since 2000, admits that the station needs some “tender loving care.”

“Obviously with a building of this age, it is going to have issues, and there is always a concern with buildings in this part of the country with humidity and moisture that can get inside the building,” Chief Hall said.

The concerns became more urgent when mold was discovered in one half of the building. Additionally, a letter sent in December by the International Association of Fire Fighters to county officials highlighted several serious issues, including high levels of PFAS chemicals in the station’s water supply. The mold problem and the PFAS contamination raised significant concerns about the health and safety of the station’s personnel.

After being made aware of these issues, Chief Hall says the fire department took immediate action.

“We’ve tried our best to stay on top of all those conditions once we were made aware of any problem with the building—whether it’s water quality, air quality—we have addressed those with our facility management department to make sure they were taken care of as soon as possible,” Chief Hall said.

In response to these challenges, New Hanover County stepped in to assist. Jon Campbell, the County’s Public Health Director, explained that a system to filter out the harmful PFAS chemicals has been installed and is now actively monitored.

“This system is being operationally efficient, so we are looking a lot at the reporting results that are coming out and seeing if there is any bleed-through of PFAS or any other substances that could be of concern or may be causing health effects,” Campbell said.

Despite the efforts to clean and make Station 13 functional again, it’s clear that a move is necessary. The fire department is in the process of transitioning to a new station just a mile down the road.

“Moving to a facility that is designed for modern fire service, where there are individual sleep areas and accommodations to handle the daytime and nighttime responses, creates a better experience for the firefighters. So, yeah, we are really excited about moving,” Chief Hall said.

Chief Hall also confirmed that the station has provided the CDC with water and air quality tests. Once the evaluation is complete, the fire department will receive recommendations on further actions.

The new fire station is expected to be completed by early fall.