Greenwich Fire Department Requests Funds To Remove Firefighting Foam

GREENWICH, CT — The Greenwich Fire Department is requesting an emergency appropriation of $98,500 for the removal of potentially dangerous firefighting foam from nine fire engines in the fleet.

Funds would also be used to help with cleanup costs related to the foam and a fire that occurred in September.

This week, the Board of Estimate and Taxation budget Committee unanimously voted 4-0 to approve the request, according to the voted agenda from Tuesday's meeting. The full BET's next regularly scheduled meeting is on Nov. 21.

Documents submitted to the budget committee noted that state mandates require the removal of firefighting foam containing Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) from fire stations and fire engines due to their harmful effects on human health and the environment.

However, the state ran out of money prior to the the initiation of Phase 3 of the mandate, which included the removal and decontamination of foam from fire apparatus, documents stated.

PFAS are a group of manufactured chemicals that have been used in the fire industry and customer products since the 1940's because of their useful properties, documents submitted by the GFD to the BET state.

The Greenwich Time reported that under state rules, PFAS foam cannot be used unless it's for a life-saving issues, which the department had been adhering to.

There are thousands of PFAS, and some are used more than others. One common characteristic among them is that the foam breaks down slowly in the environment and human body, which may cause various health problems.

"While steps have been taken by the Greenwich Fire Department to reduce the chance of a release from or apparatus, the town would be responsible for the costly cleanup of any accident or unintentional discharge of foam," an executive summary on the appropriation request from the GFD said.

"As the dollar amount of a cleanup could exceed the cost of proactively remediating our fire apparatus, it is prudent that the town allocate funds for removal of the PFAS foam now, in lieu of waiting for state funding down the road which is not guaranteed," the department added.

In documents submitted to the BET, the fire department recounted a call from September that highlighted the urgency of removing PFAS foam.

On Sept. 22, the GFD responded to a structure fire at the McDonald's on West Putnam Avenue, the fire department said.

While fighting the fire, it was determined that some foam entered the hose stream. Further investigation showed that some foam concentrate was in the fire engine water tank, resulting in contamination.

The cause of the contamination is unclear and remains under investigation, the GFD said.

The fire was quickly brought under control and steps were taken to contain areas where water was used to minimize contamination, the GFD noted.

The Department of Enegery and Environmental Protection (DEEP) was notified, and they determined that Greenwich is the responsible party for the release and ordered that the fire department contract a licensed environmental service for cleanup.

Mitigation efforts were completed, and results from water testing found PFAS in one sample but it measured below actionable levels.

Fees for the environmental consultant, cost of cleanup and sample testing totaled just over $17,000, the GFD said.

According to documents submitted to the BET, $52,561 will be used to remediate the department's nine fire engines; $28,850 will be put towards the Engine 41 tank replacement; $3,000 will be used for the cleanup consultant/report; $13,149 will go towards cleanup costs associated with the Sept. 22 fire; and $928 will replace the contaminated hose.