After months of training and deliberation, Huntsville firefighters found oil particles in the SCBA bottles.

Eighty firefighters have claimed that the city didn’t do enough to help them after they raised concerns, according to WAFF48.

It took more than a month to discover that an independent lab found 2.27 milligrams per cubic meter of oil particles in the SCBA tanks in June, which is above the NFPA’s recommended limit of 2.0, according to a memo from Huntsville Fire Chief Howard McFarlen and a letter from the city.

In August, health complaints were reported by firefighters who were on air during the drill. Firefighters reported wheezing, bone-dry throats, chest tightness, lung soreness and a cough that persisted two months later.

Huntsville runs an incentivized test given twice a year, including seven events in full turnout gear with SCBA. David Harer, president of the Professional Firefighters of Alabama and a 23-year captain with Huntsville Fire and Rescue, said the training simulates a fire as closely as possible.

Harer, who is representing dozens of his colleagues in the dispute, said a district chief is now using an inhaler.

“We’ve had multiple people after coming off air, after the drill, with respiratory issues,” Harer said. “There are so many people that have warranted someone to say, hey, you know, we might have an issue here.”

It wasn’t until a month after the training that the firefighters found out from the administration that one of the air trailers failed tesing on June 15. National safety organizations require the air compressors to be tested quarterly.

“There is no established connection between the June test result and the symptoms reported in August,” the city said.

“To have those packs contaminated and have a firefighter going into a scene or any kind of scene involving the air packs and walking away with respiratory issues,” Harer said. “We shouldn’t be getting hurt by the air packs or the equipment we bring to the fire.”

According to Harer, the city lacks a tracking system for its SCBA bottles, so authorities can't determine which bottles came from which compressor or which ones might be contaminated. That is unusual for a department the size of Huntsville, he said.

The firefighter’s union didn't get the test results for a month following the training event. Eighty firefighters then lodged complaints against Chief McFarlen, according to the International Association of Fire Fighters. Sixty-nine grievances were filed and rejected because they were filed more than 30 days after the incident, according to its letter.

“As far as I’m concerned, if the grievances are written for an unsafe work environment, I can file one today when I go back on shift. So a 30-day deadline should not matter,” Harer said. “I mean, you have 80 different people with symptoms or concerned about the safety of them on the job. 30 days shouldn’t mean anything.”

The air trailer passed testing, falling below the 2.0 limit, according to a second sample taken the day after the unsuccessful test, the city said.

“To me, it doesn’t matter. If one’s over, one’s over. And that should be it,” Harer said. “You expect your car to run when you get there. You don’t expect to have to worry about the air that you’re breathing inside the fire.”

According to the city's denial, all other equipment was tested and passed; thus the firefighters' assertions are unfounded. The city acknowledges that the 2.27 reading is below the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's 5.0 standard but above the NFPA level.

“Regarding an earlier air-quality test in mid-June, a routine quarterly sample from the portable filling trailer produced a reading slightly above the more stringent voluntary NFPA standard, but remained well below the applicable OSHA limit,” coming from the city’s letter.

“If you lower standards or lower regulations just to make it fit, it’s a great concern,” Harer said. “There’s a reason it’s 2.0, not 5.”

According to McFarlen's memo, the compressor was removed from service nine days after the test failed and reinstalled three days after the failing grade, before the tank passed the retest. According to the city, they did not see the results until after the training activity.

Timeline

On June 15, the sample was taken from the trailer compressor, and on June 24, the trailer was taken out of service. Five days later, the lab test failed, and the day after, the team took a retest sample.

On July 2, the trailer was put back in service before the retest result and eight days after the retest passed. From Aug. 3-7, multiple firefighters reported health issues, and over the next two days, the trailer was pulled, and all frontline bottles were dumped and refilled.

From Aug. 7-8, the city conducted tests that passed. The union didn’t notify members of the June failure until Sept. 17. Then, on Sept. 29, the Union filed grievances against Chief McFarlen.

On Oct. 2, the chief’s report said the cause was undetermined, and on Oct. 13 the grievances were denied.  

“That’s completely unacceptable. That should have been a cease and desist on all bottles,” Harer said.

The firefighters have requested tracking of all tanks and which compressors filled them, chemical cleaning of all equipment, new testing and mandatory health checks, including CT scans to find potential traces of oil in their lungs. However, the city denied all of them.

“We deserve answers to know that we are safe,” Harer said. “Right now, every air pack and every bottle in the city of Huntsville should be taken out of service until they’re given the A-OK that it’s fine. If someone has some long-term health effects, they deserve to know what oil was put in those bottles.”

City of Huntsville’s full statement

“The health and safety of Huntsville Fire & Rescue personnel are among the City’s highest priorities. When several firefighters reported respiratory irritation following physical training exercises on Aug. 7, HFR leadership responded immediately, taking precautionary measures that included removing the portable breathing-air filling trailer from service, replacing the air in SCBA cylinders throughout the department, and ordering additional independent air-quality testing.

Subsequent air-quality testing has met applicable safety standards, and no equipment-related cause has been identified for the reported symptoms. No lost workdays have been attributed to the incident.

HFR received 69 grievances related to the incident. Following a thorough review of the circumstances, equipment testing and supporting documentation, the City’s Human Resources Department denied the grievances and informed employees how the department is addressing their concerns.

Regarding an earlier air-quality test in mid-June, a routine quarterly sample from the portable filling trailer produced a reading slightly above the more stringent voluntary NFPA standard, but remained well below the applicable OSHA limit. A subsequent retest returned a reading on July 8, confirming compliance with the NFPA standard. There is no established connection between the June test result and the symptoms reported in August.

Although subsequent testing has demonstrated compliance with safety standards, out of an abundance of caution, HFR requested additional evaluation through the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The portable filling trailer remains out of service pending that process.

HFR is confident in the testing completed to date and remains committed to the highest standards of firefighter safety, equipment maintenance and respiratory protection.”