Auckland City Station Asbestos Update
2 May 2023
Please attribute to Sarah Sinclair, Deputy Chief Executive Organisational Strategy and Capability Development:
Independent consultants have completed comprehensive air purity testing of the entire level 2 in Auckland City Fire Station’s South wing. All air tests came back negative for asbestos.
The air tests were carried out on Friday night after traces of white asbestos were found late last week in three of fifty surface swab samples taken in the hallways and offices of South wing’s level 2.
The areas where white asbestos traces were found on surfaces remain isolated and cordoned off. These are two offices and a meeting room. Please note that air purity testing has proved negative for asbestos in these three rooms.
Based on the air test findings the offices and areas on level 2 that did not come back positive for asbestos in our previous swab tests are safe for operations to continue.
We still have more work and testing to complete.
We will continue to test air and surfaces for asbestos until we’re confident we’ve found and remediated any areas of potential contamination.
Traces of asbestos were earlier found in Auckland City Station’s North wing, after sample tests were taken of walls being core drilled by contractors. We are now cleaning and decontaminating the North wing.
We continue to keep unions and staff up to date and work with experts on next steps.
A Pump Rescue Tender and a Heavy Aerial fire appliance continue to be operational and based out of the Auckland City Station precinct.
Due to the now limited capacity of accommodation for firefighters at Auckland City, all other fire trucks and crews are temporarily based from Grey Lynn, Balmoral, and Avondale.
Fire and Emergency is working on a programme to get Auckland City Station fully operational again. A date for this is to be confirmed.