GRESHAM, Ore. — Gresham firefighters are back in their training center after it temporarily closed down due to high radon levels. This comes after Gresham Fire Station 75 tested three times the normal levels last month.
"There's a lot of concern about what the health risks [firefighters] have been subjected to," said Kevin Larson, union president for Local 1062. "We need new fire stations [that are] up to modern code so our firefighters are safe."
Larson said a company came out to test radon levels on Feb. 5 and found them to be two times the amount that the Environmental Protection Agency considers the cutoff point. Experts say anything above 4 pCi/L raises red flags.
Radon is a colorless and odorless radioactive gas that naturally comes from rocks and soil in the ground. In this part of Oregon — both in the Gorge and in the Willamette Valley — experts have found higher radon levels. The only way to know whether a home or building has elevated levels is to test it.
Experts say exposure over months and years can be dangerous and increase risk to lung cancer.
"It's just a symptom of a larger issue with our fire stations. They need attention. And they have not been taken care of for over three decades. So, we need help," Larson said. "We have had a couple [of] occupational deaths over the last year. And so, obviously, this has made our firefighters very concerned."
During last week's closure, two mitigation systems inside of the training center were installed. Larson was told this would allow proper ventilation and the removal of radon underneath the slab of concrete.
"It took them only two days to install," Larson said. "And then they have to measure the radon levels again to make sure that it's working."
Larson said he wasn't surprised by the news but hopes it's the last facility that reaches these unsafe levels of radon.