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Fairfax council approves pesticide exception to treat flea infestation under temporary fire station
Summary
The Town of Fairfax voted 4–1 to authorize a staff-requested exception to the municipal pesticide ordinance, allowing licensed pest professionals to apply and reapply targeted insecticide and a growth regulator beneath the temporary fire station after nonchemical measures failed to fully control a flea infestation.
The Fairfax Town Council voted Aug. 5 to adopt a resolution authorizing a targeted pesticide exception beneath the temporary fire station after staff said nonchemical methods did not eliminate a persistent flea infestation.
Kristen Arnold, the town’s director of public works, told the council that staff had quarantined and steamed the playground, excluded wildlife access beneath the decks and tried boric acid, but fleas continued to be present in the crawl space under the community-center building housing fire personnel. Arnold said the town consulted three pest-control companies and the county department of agriculture; the recommended approach is a licensed application of California-registered products Alpine WSG (an insecticide) and Tekko Pro (a growth regulator) applied under the building and inspected and re-applied as needed.
"The infestation can impact the fire station staff, and fleas can carry disease," Arnold said, urging an exception under Chapter 8.52 because other ordinance-compliant measures would not control fleas beneath the building.
Council members pressed staff on alternatives and environmental risks. Council member Kohler, who holds a degree in entomology, urged permitting reapplication and monitoring because "pesticides don't kill the eggs" and repeated treatments are likely to be required. Council member Blasch and others raised concerns about aquatic toxicity and flood risk if products were washed into nearby creeks. Public commenters proposed nonchemical options, including diatomaceous earth and targeted wildlife treatment, and asked for product labels, exposure data and a defined number of applications before the council acted.
Acting Fire Chief Jake Peterson urged council support to protect firefighters living in the temporary quarters: "My job here is protect the firefighters ... I feel like at this point, the pesticide use is the best way to go down and to use to make sure this doesn't intensify." Several residents nonetheless urged delay and more public notice so labels, active ingredients and monitoring plans could be reviewed.
Council member Kohler moved the supplemental resolution; Council member Gary Ghelli seconded. The council recorded votes of yes from Kohler, Ghelli, Guirangalli and Mayor Hellman; Vice Mayor Ager voted no. The motion carried 4–1. The resolution authorizes a licensed pest-control operator to apply and reapply, as necessary, California-registered flea control treatments beneath the temporary fire station in accordance with product labels and applicable law until the infestation is controlled.
The council also discussed follow-up steps requested by public speakers: staff said it would provide material safety data sheets, clarify planned application methods and monitoring protocols, and consider written limits (a defined treatment area, number of applications and an expiration date) for future exception requests.
The supplemental resolution was adopted on the council’s consent to move forward tonight, with staff to return with any additional details as requested.
