Vehicles outside the Chehalis Fire Department sit inside a fenced-off perimeter in August 2018 after asbestos testing registered trace amounts of exposure in the building, enough to require the city to hire a licensed contractor to address the contamination.
The Chehalis Fire Department is expected to remain headquartered at the Lewis County Fire District 6 station for at least a few more days as workers continue the process of removing asbestos from the Chehalis station at 455 NW Park St.
The Tacoma Asbestos Company began the asbestos abatement process about two weeks ago. The CFD evacuated its building on Aug. 1 after the once ubiquitous carcinogenic material was found during the process of removing floor tiles.
“The good news is that it’s been determined to be a minuscule amount (of asbestos),” City Manager Jill Anderson said. “Any exposure that was had was minuscule for an incredibly short period of time. We’ve been doing air quality testing inside the trucks and verifying everything that has been done.”
Chehalis fire engines once sequestered at the station have been put back into service, as have a couple of support vehicles. Chehalis Fire Chief Ken Cardinale expects all units to be back on the road by the end of the week. Fire District 6 had given the Chehalis crew access to a reserve engine during the past few weeks.
Chehalis fire personnel are also using their own personal protective gear again now that it’s been cleaned according to standards set by the state Department of Labor and Industries. Backup sets of gear and uniforms are in the process of being cleaned. Riverside Fire Authority loaned extra PPG and equipment to Chehalis in early August.
“Any time you’re working with your own equipment again, it can only enhance how they do their jobs,” Cardinale said. “As far as their operational capabilities, those can only be enhanced by being back in their own vehicles.”
The decision to move the fire department back into its building on Park Street will fall on Anderson, not Cardinale. One variable still to be decided is whether any abatement work needs to be done on the second floor of the station, which includes a meeting room and workout facility.
City councilors were told at their meeting on Aug. 13 that decontamination of the first floor would cost about $60,000. The actual cost of work done thus far isn’t yet known. Anderson said testing and estimates for the second floor will be done within the next day or two.
