Department of Ecology praises City on quick and correct response to PSE fire explosion

The State of Washington Department of Ecology (DOE) recently praised the City of Redmond for the quick and correct response from the Fire and Public Works departments during the June fire at the Puget Sound Energy substation fire.

A job well done!

The efforts taken by these two departments prevented a potentially serious release of oil and firefighting foam into local surface waters. Quick thinking and coordination between Fire and Public Works safely contained the foam solution and more than 1000 gallons of mineral oil within a stormwater swale adjacent to the fire scene. Upon determining that the fire would be suppressed with foam, the fire incident commander, Battalion Chief Ed Carolan, notified Public Works, which promptly sealed off the swale’s drainage outlet.

Bill Cambell

Dir. Public Works

Jeannie Summerhays, DOE’s Regional Director stated, “We congratulate the City on taking these preventative measures in the stress of a time-critical situation with significant health and safety risks.”

The swale drains directly into a creek that enters the Sammamish River only several dozen yards away from the fire location. The Sammamish is an important salmon river and its bank habitat is home to many species. Foam solution and oil are toxic to fish and wildlife.

“The environmental consequences of this fire could have been substantial,” stated Mayor John Marchione. “Due to our concern for the environment, we train our employees to coordinate emergency response and environmental protection during emergencies.”

Due to the City’s quick action, Puget Sound Energy’s environmental contractors were able to effectively collect oil and foam rinse from the swale and remove residual contamination from the incident site.

Press release

Photo taken of Redmond Fire after a three hour training session