The state Department of Ecology (DOE) praised the City of Redmond for its quick and correct response to the June fire at a Puget Sound Energy (PSE) substation off of Willows Road.
The efforts taken by the city’s fire and public works departments, which was outlined in a follow up story by the Redmond Reporter, prevented a potentially serious release of oil and firefighting foam into Redmond surface waters.
Quick thinking and coordination between fire and public works safely contained the foam solution and more than 1,000 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, who promptly sealed off the swale’s drainage outlet.
“We congratulate the city on taking these preventative measures in the stress of a time-critical situation with significant health and safety risks,” said DOE regional director Jeannie Summerhays.
The swale drains directly into a creek that enters the Sammamish River only several dozen yards away from the fire location. The Sammamish River 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,” said Redmond 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, PSE’s environmental contractors were able to effectively collect oil and foam rinse from the swale and remove residual contamination from the incident site.
