Photo By Sgt. Michael Udejiofor | George Pineda, a certified industrial hygienist from the Environmental Institute,...... read more read more
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FORT STEWART, Ga.— More than 30 Soldiers assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division attended a Mold Assessment and Remediation in Buildings training course Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 on Fort Stewart, Georgia. The course taught industry-standard mold remediation practices that these Soldiers can bring back to their units and implement across post.
Bill McGovern, a technical engineer with the Directorate of Public Works of Fort Stewart and head of the Fort Stewart mold remediation team, asked the Environmental Institute, based out of Marietta, Georgia, to teach the three-day course to the Soldiers.
“It is very important to get the Environmental Institute here and give the education of why we do the things we’re doing and to certify the Soldiers and the civilians on how to properly remediate mold,” said McGovern.
“Everyone that is in this course is either on the DPW's mold team or part of their brigade's mold team,” said McGovern.
Following a 100-question exam at the end of the course, participants were awarded a Mold Inspector/Remediator certification.
McGovern said these newly-certified inspectors/remediators will help Fort Stewart transition into a more proactive stance as teams work together to identify and stop mold outbreaks.
As part of the training, participants were taught about the key components that allow mold colonization to happen, and received hands-on experience with specialized tools and equipment that they can use to inspect, identify, and remediate mold.
“I really hope with the class we have here that we have a better understanding of everything we have to do as a community,” said McGovern.
Staff Sgt. Anthony Perez, a member of the Fort Stewart mold team, attended this three-day course so that he can help coach and mentor other Soldiers on how to deal with mold.
“I don’t have an extensive background when it comes to mold, so attending this class was very beneficial,” said Perez.
McGovern hopes this course highlights to the participants that cleaning alone is not enough. If Soldiers do not find the root of the problem and the source of moisture, mold will continue to return.
“Cleanliness and moisture are the keys,” McGovern said. “Getting in the barracks, identifying the problem areas, and resolving the moisture issues to make it more conducive to cleanliness and not mold propagation are vital.”
McGovern and the Environmental Institute instructors emphasized to the students that prevention plans for when Soldiers go out to the field or are deployed are essential to ensure that major mold issues do not pop up.
To date, McGovern said that Fort Stewart has remediated 1,100 mold-related issues, and these new inspectors/remediators will help identify and remediate mold-related issues on the post.
“This is a continuing education, so we’ll have more classes,” said McGovern. “The mold team Soldiers that are getting certified today will eventually leave or deploy, so we’ll have to replenish those ranks.”
Tackling mold issues is a whole-of-community effort for Fort Stewart, and each newly-certified inspector/remediator helps reduce the time it takes to identify, assess and remediate mold.
| Date Taken: | 11.01.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 11.03.2022 16:46 |
| Story ID: | 432602 |
| Location: | FORT STEWART , GA, US |
| Web Views: | 81 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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