Firefighter Complains About Conditions At Yuba City Station
YUBA CITY (CBS13) -- A Yuba City fire station has received an inquiry from the state after one of the city's own firefighters complained that the station is an unhealthy workplace.
The complaint also said the station has had four cases of MRSA -- a drug resistant bacteria that can cause a number of skin problems including what is known as the flesh-eating bacteria -- among its firefighters in the past 16 months.
"I don't feel that the allegations are accurate," Fire Chief Pete Daley told CBS13.
But Daley didn't want to get into the specifics. "I'd rather not get into that so much because then I'm getting into HIPPA violatons and HIPPA rules, so I'd rather not discuss confirmed cases, or unconfirmed cases," he said.
The firefighter, who didn't want to be named, says the conditions within Station 7 on Butte House Road are unsanitary, including a septic system backup and insulation exposed in the living room.
The chief says the station is being remodeled. The remodeling job will now go from a 9-to-5 workday to a 24-hour operation.
"Have we had a septic issue? Yes. Has it been taken care of? Yes. It's not different than any other remodel," Daley said.
With regards to MRSA, which is highly contagious, Daley said it's a risk of the job. "You have to realize that we respond to over 7,000 calls a year and 85 percent of those are medical aids. We deal with a lot of sick people."
But someone filed a complaint with Cal/OSHA, the state's occupational safety board.
The chief says no one in his office has ever received a complaint of unsanitary conditions, until they got a letter from the state.
"Is it disappointing that someone didn't come in and say, 'Hey, we got to deal with this issue,'" Daley said. "Yeah, I guess it is."
The department must respond to Cal/OSHA in writing by Thursday and at that point the agency will decide whether to launch an investigation.
The remodeling of the station is expected to be complete next spring.
