Despite renovated quarters, federal firefighters on Hawaii Island say they’re living in Quonset huts

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Federal inspectors are investigating well being and security complaints made by firefighters on the Military’s Pohakuloa Coaching Space on Hawaii island.

The federal firefighters say they made a criticism to the U.S. Division of Labor Occupational Security and Well being Administration in March and investigators arrived per week later.

They stated they have been utilizing respiratory equipment and N95 masks with out correct match testing, the HVAC system wasn’t eradicating gases from the vehicles, and security guidelines weren’t being adopted.

Associated Protection: Federal firefighters at Hawaii Island coaching space battle Military over security, retaliation complaints

“Administration said a number of instances it’s a funding challenge and tried guilty it on Oahu,” stated one federal firefighter at Pohakuloa, who wished to stay nameless.

“OSHA overtly said that cash shouldn’t be a difficulty,” the firefighter added.

Firefighters additionally say they’ve been residing within the a long time outdated Quonset huts since 2016 ― unable to maneuver right into a multi-million greenback renovated hearth station due to a collection of constructing blunders.

“The contractor didn’t put a sprinkler system within the residing quarters of the station,” stated Kaanapu Jacobsen, union president of Federal Hearth Fighters of Hawaii.

Firefighters say they constructed a makeshift kitchen outdoors the Quonset hut, are uncovered to the acute Pohakuloa components, rats and even washed dishes in the identical space as their rest room and bathe.

“We’ve come to a degree now we’ve exhausted all of that. We’ve achieved every little thing we might do in addition to dwell in these circumstances for a protracted time frame. We really feel that is our final resort,” stated one other federal firefighter at Pohakuloa, who wished to stay nameless.

“It’s upsetting. They bust their okole up there. They handle the land,” stated Jacobsen.

The Military didn’t reply to HNN’s questions in regards to the OSHA inspection.

“Whereas we acknowledge there have been a number of delays, U.S. Military Garrison-Hawaii is within the last phases of transitioning to a brand new, and far wanted, hearth station on PTA,” Michael O. Donnelly, chief of exterior communications at U.S. Military Garrison Hawaii, stated in an announcement.

“The U.S. Military’s Set up and Administration Command will conduct a workers help go to of the PTA Hearth Division subsequent week to determine areas for enchancment,” the assertion added.

Copyright 2022 Hawaii Information Now. All rights reserved.