Fire chief: New station necessary for the health of first responders

The personnel based at the Lewiston Orchards fire station on Burrell Avenue clean their everyday uniforms at home because the station has no laundry area.

It also lacks the equipment required to clean the heavy-duty pants and jackets firefighters wear when battling fires to meet industry safety standards.

Instead, they hose them off with water, send them to professional cleaners or take them to a different station that has the apparatus as time permits.

Those inadequacies were among many pointed out by Lewiston Fire Chief Travis Myklebust during a Thursday open house at the station attended by a handful of elected officials and community members.

The process to replace the 4,600-square-foot station has already begun. The Lewiston City Council approved starting the design of a new $6.9 million station just a few blocks away on the northwest corner of Bryden Avenue and Fifth Street.

The plans will go before the council again in upcoming weeks when they are 60% done. If the proposal moves forward, the 10,000-square-foot station could be completed as early as January 2024.

The upgrade needs to happen for a variety of reasons, including that it will improve response times, he said.

It will also improve conditions for firefighters and paramedics, which are so poor he loses sleep at night, Myklebust said, noting several retired emergency personnel have been diagnosed with cancer.

A more robust exhaust system at the new station will funnel diesel fumes from fire engines and ambulances outside, he said.

During the open house, Myklebust pointed to a black film on the ceiling in the bay where fire engines and ambulances are stored.

“That’s soot from diesel, which is one of the leading (causes) of cancer in firefighters today,” Myklebust said.

One of the reasons he’s worried about the absence of a laundry area at the Lewiston station on Burrell Avenue is because it increases the exposure emergency responders have to the carcinogens they encounter fighting fires, and biological contaminants such as blood, vomit and fecal material, he said.

The new station will have the places to clean uniforms and firefighting gear, mitigating that problem, Myklebust said.

Another upgrade will be three unisex bathrooms, each with its own sink, toilet, urinal and shower. That would take the place of the single bathroom currently shared by the three firefighters, which only has one shower even though firefighters are required to shower after every fire.

The current station’s living area has other less visible hazards, such as a bedroom without a window that wouldn’t be allowed at a house, and a lack of natural light, he said. These issues will be remedied at the new station.

That is a concern because of a growing prevalence of suicide among firefighters, Myklebust said.

Many of the city’s emergency responders work roughly half of their lives helping to keep the community safe, he said.

“The least we can do is give them a good shot at a healthy retirement,” Myklebust said.

Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.