RICHMOND, Va (WTVR)--Earlier this week CBS 6 investigated viewer claims that mold had infested Station 14.
According to the fire department, lab tests today showed there is mold in the firehouse, but it's not toxic black mold. Officials say they are using an abundance of caution and relocating the firefighters to Fire Station 15.
CBS 6 continued to follow the investigation and found that several stations are in need of repair.
When Chief Robert Creecy took over the top spot in the Richmond Fire Department eight years ago, he put in his budget the need for three new fire stations.
Six years later, the first one of them opened.
Now, some of the decades-old fire houses are showing signs of age. The oldest one--more than a century since its walls went up--has its share of issues, including mice in the kitchen, a leaking roof and a reoccurring sewage backup issue.
Chief Creecy says he understands firefighters are frustrated, and said he is too, but adds that he knows there are obstacles.
"I'm not mad at somebody else in city government, because they're not doing their part, we're all trying to move all of these things as quickly as possible," he said.
Creecy says the economy and 20 fire houses with various needs, make it tough to spend large sums of money for repairs. He added some of the fire stations just need to be replaced.
Keith Andes, President of Local 995 Richmond Firefighters Association says problems with the departments stations are well documented, including a consultants findings from a year ago.
Click on the video for the full report.
