Asbestos survey before Snohomish training was inadequate, report says

SNOHOMISH — Dozens of firefighters were exposed to asbestos while training in Snohomish this year, an investigation has confirmed. But the immediate health risk is minimal, fire officials say.

From February to April, nearly 150 firefighters from Snohomish County Fire District 4, South County Fire and Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue participated in training on Pine Avenue. The training included nondestructive, destructive and live fire activities at three properties.

But an asbestos contractor provided inadequate test results on the properties before training began, according to a report the three fire agencies released last week. By the time the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency flagged the asbestos survey, it was too late for some firefighters.

“We have investigated and determined, unfortunately despite following best practices and devising a plan to reduce risk to all training participants, we had employees that were exposed to asbestos,” the report reads.

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/asbestos-survey-before-snohomish-training-was-inadequate-report-says/