Bed Bugs Invade Johnson City Fire Station
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Bed Bugs Invade Johnson City Fire Station
Bed Bugs Invade Johnson City Fire Station
Nate Morabito/11 Connects
Johnson City fire crews are fighting more than fires this week. Firefighters at Fire Station #2 on Cherokee Road are dealing with the aftermath of a bed bug infestation. Crews noticed the tiny pests Monday.
“We pulled up the mattress and we se all the brown bugs all over the place,“ Johnson City Firefighter Adam Momberger said. “There were probably only 12 to 15 that we could see, but we knew there were more. The eggs were so small we couldn’t see them.“
After finding the critters under a mattress, the Johnson City Fire Department hired an exterminator to eliminate the problem. That pest control company sprayed the inside of the fire station. However, that was only part of the extermination. Exterminators also asked firefighters to remove all furniture that may have come in contact with the bugs.
“We’ve taken all the bedding, box springs out, the furniture, and removed that from the station,“ Johnson City Assistant Fire Chief Mark Finucane said.
Although bed bugs are not dangerous, the tiny bloodsuckers are quite the pests.
“Their meal is blood,“ Finucane said. “It would make it uncomfortable for the firefighters staying there and that’s their home 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.“
Aside from potentially biting firefighters, the bugs also displaced crews from inside the station. Instead of sleeping in their beds, firefighters at Fire Station #2 will now sleep on cots for the next several nights. Those cots sit inside a trailer parked inside the station’s garage. Exterminators will return to the fire station later this week to make sure the bugs are gone for good. When that is determined, the pest control company will give the city the green light to move new furniture back into the station, Finucane said.
In the meantime, firefighters are spending their time cleaning their turnout gear.
“Just washing everything as many times as you can in hot water,“ Momberger said.
Even though the bed bugs appear to be gone, firefighters are still scratching their heads, wondering how the bugs ended up at their station in the first place.
“We have no idea where (the bugs) came from,“ Momberger said. “We go to a lot of hotels and apartment buildings. We have no idea where this could have come from…it just makes you really queasy thinking about how (a bed bug) was sleeping with you for the last month probably.“
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The firefighters are placing their mattresses and other furniture outside in the sun, hoping to kill bed bugs. This is NOT a reliable method of killing bed bugs. See this article:
http://bit.ly/a6hKE
I would argue the need to keep things seperate here. Fire and Police are seperate. Because there are some things many of us do not like about how the other operates.
Remember Kingsport a few years ago when a commissioner was forced out because he questioned the need for funds for over time pay. Overtime pay is not something Firemen get.
I have some other valid complaints but this is not the place for it.
These two units are not camparible even thorugh they work togeather a lot.
How some of you people can actually believe that the firefighters, the ones that risk their lives to save your personal property or your life, are so manipulative that they would infest themselves with bed bugs to “get a raise” or “increase the cities spending to get their retirement” is seriously delusional. Perhaps you live your life manipulating others but I don’t see how you can seriously think these rediculous things. I don’t see what retirement has to do with any of this. And as far as the retirement issue some people should perhaps do some research before they bash anyone. We need to be supportive of our public safety officers that protect us and our city.
If you set your luggage down on the floor of a motel anywhere most likely you have picked up some bed bugs.
That story has been around for years. It is true also.
What is all this other junk posted here. It happens you clean it up and go on. Weird people looking to knock someone down to make themselves feel better about their own lot in life should refrain from posting about those who would risk their life to save yours.
Americans are just plain silly sometimes.
Mybe they have been date shopping on craigslist and some little critters were left behind.
i take offense from the person who posted that the fire fighters were just trying to get money from the city. my uncle was a fire fighter for many years for j.c. and retired from there as well. whom ever this person is should really appreciate the fact that those men and women risk their lives for ppl who’s houses and things are on fire and what if your stuff was? would you show a little more respect then? and NO bedbugs just aren’t in places that are nasty, you are right about that, they can come in anywhere and take over in a matter of days! so, hope that you fellas don’t ever have to deal w/ this headache again…AND THANK YOU GUYS, EVERY ONE OF YOU, FOR PUTTING YOUR LIVES ON THE LINE EACH AND EVERY TIME YOU FIGHT A FIRE OR HELP SAVE A FAMILY..YOU ARE APPRECIATED AND RESPECTED!
They put quite a tool on their bodies doing their job. Much more than an average worker who works in a office all day. I think you should do some research on the mortality rate of firefighters after they retire. Also the firefighters are seeking the 25 year retirement along with the police officers. So it’s not fair to just pigeon-hole the fire department.
The truth is they (firefighters) want
the City to spend money on early
retirement for them ——real world,
people are losing jobs or working two
jobs during this economy. They are
only thinking of themselves not the
taxpayers or fellow employees.
Sounds like somebody has a vendetta against the fire department. What did they do to warrant such a poor attitude from you, other than protect and serve you and your family.
I suppose they will expect a raise for hazardous living conditions now.
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