Airport Commissioning New PFAS-Free Fire Suppression System

Nantucket Memorial Airport is commissioning a new PFAS-free fire suppression system that is believed to be the first of its kind in the United States.

The new system will utilize a fluorine-free foam to replace the AFFF foam that is believed to have caused PFAS contamination of properties south of the airport. Airport crews are scheduled to perform a commissioning test of the new fire suppression system Wednesday morning at 9 a.m.

The airport continues to investigate the extent of PFAS contamination at abutting properties resulting from years of tests required by the Federal Aviation Administration in which firefighting foam was dispersed. It has already spent millions on consultants, soil testing, water filtration systems for impacted residents, and the initial work to connect those properties to the municipal water system.

In September of last year, Nantucket Memorial Airport filed a lawsuit against a group of chemical companies involved in the manufacturing of PFAS, seeking damages associated with the contamination of neighboring property and water wells. The lawsuit, filed in Nantucket Superior Court, names some of the giants of the chemical industry, including 3M, Dupont, and Tyco, among others, accusing them of negligence and “outrageously conscious disregard” for the safety of those living and working around the airport.

The new fire suppression system is part of the airport’s $4.4 million fuel farm rehabilitation project that also includes new piping and the conversion of an underground storage tank to hold jet fuel.

Wednesday morning’s test will involve activating the fire pump and dispersing the new foam product - National Foam’s Universal Green Fluorine-Free Foam (F3) - into a storage tank and containment areas.

“The F3 foam and the system tests presents no danger to the public,” assistant airport manager Noah Karberg said. “The system tests will be monitored by airport and project engineering straff and will only disperse foam into concrete secondary containment structures.”