San Bernardino County Fire employees relocated after lead paint detected in warehouse
Nearly 20 San Bernardino County Fire District employees were relocated from a fire district warehouse and training classroom after lead paint was detected in the facilities.
County officials announced that employees who used or accessed the 29,979-square-foot warehouse were restricted from access after an 11-month effort by the county to address and assess the discovery of non-airborne lead at the facility at San Bernardino International Airport.
Though no employees have yet to file a complaint claiming possible illness from the lead, county leadership still determined it was prudent to restrict access to the warehouse in an abundance of caution, county officials said.
The source of the non-airborne lead dust is believed to be lead paint used in the facility long before the county began leasing it.
County officials are inspecting all its facilities at the site for lead contamination.
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Lead detected
On Dec. 27, 2021, the SBC Fire District warehouse underwent environmental testing due to heavy rains and a possible roof leak. Testing was conducted in the area where the leak occurred. Lead was present but not considered an immediate threat.
Since December, several environmental tests have been conducted throughout the warehouse.
The warehouse's first non-airborne lead dust samples were taken on July 27. Warehouse staff were advised of lead testing results in writing and in person on Oct. 31 and were provided with lead awareness training.
Employees will be offered free lead exposure testing. Follow-up testing showed contaminated dust in five of 24 wipe samples.
Wipe samples were taken in the warehouse's specified work areas again on November 23, and no lead dust was found.
The county continues testing in the warehouse and adjacent SBC Fire facilities and will continue any remediation actions as results come in.
The county is working to secure an alternative warehouse location. An environmental company cleans items from the warehouse before they are sent to fire stations.
The county is examining its response to this situation and is identifying improvements to internal processes to ensure future challenges are addressed as effectively and efficiently as possible.
The warehouse is on 3.84 acres at 2824 East W St. in San Bernardino and is used to store equipment and supplies for the Fire District's 48 fire stations throughout the county.
Online listings show the address as a San Bernardino Fire - Household Hazardous Waste facility.
The county leases the warehouse and land from the San Bernardino International Airport Authority.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Lead paint found in San Bernardino County Fire warehouse
