Missouri City fire station closed after mold found inside walls

HOUSTON – The Missouri City Fire Department has temporarily closed a fire station after mold was found in the walls of Fire Station 4.

Crews were performing maintenance on the 20-year-old building at 5955 Sienna Parkway when they found the fungus in October. 

“In the tiles above that wall they found some moisture there where we had some roof leaks and the ductwork there and in some adjacent areas where the bathroom is,” said Missouri City Fire Chief Eugene Campbell Jr.

He said after they tested the area and determined it was mold, Campbell immediately closed the station and moved the firefighters.

“First I’m thinking about the firefighters, so thinking about their health and wellness, thinking about what we can do with them and also that we have our response time intact,” Campbell said.

He said the firefighters, their equipment and trucks are currently stationed at Fire House 5, located at 190 Waters Lake Blvd.

The chief said he understands moving is not comfortable for citizens in the area who may be concerned about response times, but pledged that they were keeping up with arriving at calls in 8 minutes and 30 seconds.

“We are constantly vigilant about response times, we constantly are moving crews that we need based on the call volume and right now as of today we’re still within our response time parameters and their safety is paramount,” Campbell said. 

He said there are normally three to four firefighters per shift who stay at the station 24 hours a day. There are three different shifts.

Campbell said the remediation work should be complete by the end of November. They’re waiting for a contractor to put the gypsum wall board back up and paint it.

“Firefighters love working for them (the community) we love them and their safety is paramount and we need them to know that,” Campbell said.