New Hanover County attorney refutes claims made by International Association of Firefighters

April 16, 2025

Conor Doherty,

CASTLE HAYNE, NC (WWAY) — WWAY has obtained several documents relating to New Hanover County Fire Rescue Station 13, including a letter from County Attorney K. Jordan Smith to Peter Leff, general counsel for the International Association of Firefighters.

The Association became involved in the Station 13 situation due to reported serious health problems among a large percentage of firefighters who had spent a lot of time working out of that station.

In the letter, sent earlier this month, Smith refutes several claims made by Leff in a letter Leff had sent to the county.

Leff claimed the station was built on an EPA superfund site and that a higher concentration of PFAS, or permanent chemicals, was found in its drinking water.

Leff said the association is focused on helping the firefighters.

“The goal is to keep the firefighters who are working there safe,” Leff said. “I mean, even if it has to be a temporary structure that is relocated so they’re not working out of that station and they’re working in a safer environment. You know, that would be preferable to people continuing to work in a station that could be making them very ill.”

Also among the documents WWAY obtained was a report showing the station building has higher than average levels of 3 types of mold in several areas.

Smith’s letter said the county had begun remediation protocols to deal with the mold, which was completed on April 3rd, and a spokesperson with the county confirmed air sampling taken on April 8th “met acceptable indoor air quality standards and no visible mold was present.”

Smith said the safety of the firefighters and the community is important to them.

“While we respectfully disagree with several assertions in your most recent letter, the County remains committed to ensuring both the current Station 13 and it’s replacement facility are safe, effective, and fully serve the residents of New Hanover County,” Smith wrote.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, a division of the CDC, had previously said it would evaluate Station 13 but has since told the county that will not happen due to federal budget cuts.

The county has since asked the North Carolina Department of Labor to maintain oversight of workplace safety.

In a statement sent to WWAY, the International Association of Firefighters says:

“We are encouraged by the commitment to a new, safe replacement for Station 13. However, in the meantime, New Hanover County firefighters are still working in a station where county officials have acknowledged the presence of multiple types of mold. This requires immediate remediation to ensure the health and safety of NHC firefighters. If remediation is not possible, those members should be relocated to a mold-free facility until their new station is ready.”

A new station is being built down the road from Station 13 and is expected to be finished soon.