Black mold causes firefighters, staff at small Jasper County station to relocate
Firefighters at a small Jasper County station have been relocated after black mold was discovered, according to a county news release.
Jasper County Fire Rescue leaders and staff at the Coosawhatchie station, located at I-95 and Exit 28, moved to the next nearest station and are continuing to provide emergency services, director of Jasper County emergency services Chief Russell Wells said in the release.
Laboratory results confirmed that some rooms in the station had multiple types of mold, which can cause sickness.
County staff is evaluating options for what to do with the station, including remediating the mold issue, replacing a section of the station or constructing a new building.
“We are taking appropriate measures to protect our staff and to continue our ability to provide emergency services to the county,” Wells said. “Solutions for this issue will take time to evaluate, and we may need to make some other operational changes in the short term.”
County Administrator Andrew Fulghum added that the county is evaluating options for both short-term and long-term “good of the community and the county.”
The Coosawhatchie station has served the small community since 1995, but the site isn’t large enough to accommodate another standalone station, even a temporary modular building, the release said.
In late 2020, the county opened a new fire station at Church Street and Stiney Road in the Hardeeville area. The 5,000-square-foot facility cost $1.62 million and is staffed 24 hours a day.
A new $1.8 million fire station is also in the works at 4820 Lowcountry Drive.
