Dozens Of Dallas Firefighters Sweating Through Their Shifts Due To A/C Problems At 5 Stations
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Fourteen Dallas firefighters call Station 33 in South Dallas their home away from home.
"This is our home for a third of our lives. We're away from our families for 24 hours at a time, and we're at the fire station," said Jim McDade, President of the Dallas Fire Fighters Association.
But when the thermostat reads in the mid 80s, they're sweating through their shifts.
"It affects their sleep when they do have a little bit of time to sleep at night. Who can sleep when it's 85, 90 degrees inside the fire station? It affects every aspect of their life without a doubt," he said.
McDade says it's one of at least five Dallas fire stations with air conditioning problems.
At Station 33, sources said it's been broken for around six weeks.
It does have five portable a/c units, but sources said they're ineffective at cooling the station down. They also said the units cost around $500 each per day.
McDade said he blames the city for failing to provide maintenance on the units - and then failing to fix them when they break.
"They don't seem to put a priority on it or understand the situation at all," he said.
Dallas Fire-Rescue says it and the city are aware of the issues, saying, "We are working closely with the City's Building Services Department on a plan to permanently replace the station's HVAC units. In the meantime, temporary units have been deployed to maintain the station's climate. Installation of the permanent replacement equipment is estimated to be complete by Fall 2021; but we will continuously monitor the situation to ensure the members of the station are provided the most ideal living conditions."