Due to health and safety issues, the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District has closed Fire Station 30 located at 3905 Old Highway 395 next to Bowers Mansion, according to a news release.
There is no timeline for reopening the station.
Due to an infestation of bats, it has been determined that the station is a health and safety risk to fire crews. Bats have been flying in the living quarters and dead bats have been found in the apparatus bay.
Station 30 dates to the 1950s and is leased to TMFPD from the state of Nevada. The district will consult with experts to determine what preventive and remediation work is needed to eliminate the bat colonies and associated hazards.
The ambulance based at Station 30, along with two fire personnel will be relocated to Station 32, the other Washoe Valley Station located at 1240 Eastlake Blvd. A total of five firefighters to include paramedics will be housed at Station 32.
In addition to rabies, there are several other viruses that bats transmit to humans. A human need not be bitten or scratched to contract it. The disease can be transmitted as an aerosolized virus by way of bat saliva and their feces can transmit viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic infections to humans. The fire district attempted to remediate the problem in 2015, only to have the bats return. Staff will review possible options including contamination cleanup.
TMFPD will also increase its coordination with Carson City Fire Department to the south end of Washoe Valley.
