Lackawanna firefighters are worried that they may have been exposed to asbestos after a recent study showed high levels in their station, according to WIVB-TV.
Station No. 3 has been under renovation for asbestos abatement for the last month and testing ordered by firefighters found unsafe levels.
Firefighters ordered the tests from the independent lab after they began noticing a large amount of dust in the building.
Despite receiving the results on Dec. 8, it wasn't until Dec. 17 that the City Engineer ordered them to vacate the building before it could be cleaned up.
Union President Capt. Thomas Mendez told the news station that he would have like to see the city respond quicker.
"A memo was published that we should avoid the second floor as best as possible. That was a less than appropriate response to the level of asbestos that was in the building," he said.
A contractor told firefighters that it should take less than a week to clean up the dust and asbestos.
The dispatch area is being worked on first to ensure that the dispatchers can return to work as soon as possible.
