BBRC Statement on the AFFF Spill on Brunswick Landing
September 20, 2024
As many know by now, on August 19th, 2024, the fire suppression system in Hangar 4 on Brunswick Landing malfunctioned, releasing approximately 1,400- 1,600 gallons of Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF), a firefighting foam which contains PFOS/PFOA or otherwise known as “forever chemicals”.
Soon after this occurred, our chamber heard from member-businesses on Brunswick Landing that they felt that they did not receive the necessary information needed to be able to assure employees and customers that it was safe to continue to do business. As a landing-based business ourselves, we sympathize with those members and agree that the initial lack of communication and public information was disconcerting and harmful to our businesses.
Our concern is that trust has been lost between MRRA and the larger Brunswick community due to an initial lack of communication and verified information. For many, moving forward is difficult without trust and we need answers as to how and why this event happened to regain that trust. Ultimately, we all want the same thing: to know that our water, waterways, land, and air are safe for everyone to use and enjoy.
The latest updates from MRRA on the status of Hangar 5 and Hangar 6 (which have similar suppression systems as to Hangar 4) give a clear accounting on what the fire suppression system statuses are for those two buildings, as well as the next steps MRRA will be taking to help ensure those systems are as safe as possible.
The link for that update published on September 18, 2024 is here: https://brunswicklanding.us/update-on-hangars-5-and-6-our-commitment-to-accountability-transparency-and-collaboration/.
We believe that there can only be one objective right now and that is to ensure that we continue to have clean water at Brunswick Landing and the surrounding area.
Our chamber is committed to helping this process in any way possible and sharing all pertinent information as we receive it. The Town of Brunswick will be using their Notify Me system to send out notifications when new information is released. You can sign up using the following link: https://brunswickme.gov/list.aspx.
