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An Athens company sues local fire departments over damage to its building from a training exercise
By: David Forster
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — An Athens property owner is suing several local fire departments over a training exercise that allegedly caused more than $700,000 in damage.
The property is owned by East State Street Development Co. East State alleges in its lawsuit, filed Friday in Athens County Court of Common Pleas, that it was not asked for permission to use its property for the training.
As part of the training, firefighters hooked up to East State’s private water system to draw water, again without permission, according to the lawsuit.
The exercise “led to a ‘water hammer event’ where pressurized water was forced back into East State’s building causing the internal water lines to burst and flood the Property,” the lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit alleges this training exercise “was not required, legitimate, or necessary.”
East State says it asked the fire departments to pay for the damage but they have refused. It also alleges the departments acknowledged they caused the problem.
As evidence, the lawsuit includes a quote from Athens Service-Safety Director Andy Stone, who told the City Council in February the training exercise caused a line to rupture and flood the building.
WOUB previously reported that Stone also said at the meeting this location had been used for training before, and permission was given by QuidelOrtho two days before the training last September.
Stone told the council at the time he was expecting a lawsuit.
WOUB was unable to reach the city of Athens and the fire departments named in the lawsuit for comment early Monday evening.