The Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority has completed inspections and testing for three of its aircraft hangars, including the one that malfunctioned and released toxic foam into the environment in August.
The Brunswick Fire Department noted in a letter MRRA provided to The Times Record that inspection reports for Hangars 4, 5 and 6 were completed on Dec. 6, resolving a code violation issued back in September. Despite this, the fire department noted that the reports identified “system deficiencies that require attention,” which it said MRRA plans to address once parts for repairs are made available.
Shean said that the issues included outdated backup batteries and a “few notification devices.” Per fire code, Shean said that all rechargeable batteries that are used as a secondary power source in a fire alarm system must be replaced at the end of their lifespan. He said that MRRA requested that their contractor tasked to fix the systems, Eastern Fire, order replacement batteries. The letter also notes that the Fire Department will conduct an inspection once all repairs are made.
In the inspection reports the Fire Department provided to The Times Record, Eastern Fire noted that multiple batteries at each location failed tests due to their age. The report for Hangar 6 also listed under the deficiencies a report for horns and strobes not sounding in a third floor break room.
The tests and inspections for Hangars 5 and 6 were done in order to address the fire code violation — referred to as “Corrective Action,” a process that property owners go through to address code violations — and had been nearly three months in the making.
Hangar 4 was not issued a violation, but was in a corrective action stage following the accidental release of 1,450 gallons of PFAS-containing foam concentrate mixed with 51,000 gallons of water in August. The incident is Maine’s worst foam spill in 30 years, and prompted an ongoing environmental clean-up and monitoring effort for PFAS in nearby surface water and well water resources.
The Authority, which oversees redevelopment of the former Brunswick Naval Air Station, revealed in September that its Hangars 4, 5 and 6 were past due in their fire suppression system inspections, the last of which were from 2023 and noted deficiencies in the system.
The Authority initially had until the end of October to fix the issues that prompted the code violation, including faulty control units, aging parts, horn and strobe problems, and nonfunctional flame detectors. That deadline was extended until late November since the contractor tasked with fixing the issues, Eastern Fire, ran into shipping delays for parts. After not being able to meet its second deadline for corrective action, the Fire Department determined that the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority will provide status updates in lieu of a new deadline.
Shean noted early on in the process that the deadline could be adjusted to match the progress that the authority was making in corrections. Shipping delays for parts prompted the first extension of deadline, for instance.
Hangars 5 and 6 were previously operated by the Navy before two of them were conveyed to MRRA in 2011. Hangar 4 is still owned by the Navy, though MRRA leases the space.
The Hangars were designed to put out aviation fires and disperse a PFAS-containing foam called aqueous film-forming foam, or AFFF. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, is a chemical family made up of thousands of compounds. It’s also known as the “forever chemical,” and is known to be harmful to human health.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
