In February 2019, NBC7 Investigates obtained internal documents from the San Diego Fire Department that showed the city delayed fixing a known asbestos problem at the fire academy. The documents showed that over the course of a decade, thousands of firefighters were exposed to asbestos and lead in the floors, walls and ceilings.
NBC 7 has now confirmed that just one day after the report, the county’s Air Pollution Control District (ACPD) started its own investigation into the exposure. An ACPD investigation report obtained by a public records request reads, in part, “A district employee watched the broadcast and notified Air Pollution Control District management the following day in the afternoon. The report aired by NBC alleged that the city minimized and failed to disclose the dangers of asbestos and lead present in the training facility buildings. The building was a naval building, converted to the fire training facility 20 years ago.”