Pasco 1st to remove ‘forever chemical’ firefighting foam under new WA program
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- Pasco Fire removed 140 gallons of PFAS-containing AFFF foam from the city.
- The Washington Department of Ecology runs statewide collection and 90 stations signed up.
- Pasco replaced the toxic foam with fluorine-free F3 foam.
Crews moved and packed heavy 5-gallon pails of toxic liquid foam Friday from a garage at Pasco Fire Department Station 82 near the Tri-Cities Airport.
It was the first step to get rid of firefighting foam containing toxic forever chemicals.
The Pasco Fire Department is the first to partner with the Washington Department of Ecology to participate in a collection and disposal program for the nasty stuff.
About 90 stations around the state have signed up for the Ecology program to remove about 40,000 gallons of foam.
Two other Tri-Cities area fire departments are disposing of their foam — Benton County Fire District 1 and the Richland Fire Department.
Fire departments in the Central Washington region have the second largest amount of the aqueous film-forming foam, also called AFFF, in the state, with 9,000 gallons.
The largest volumes are in the Puget Sound region.
AFFF foam is used to put out liquid-fueled fires like burning oil and gas. It smothers and cools aircraft fires at the airport.
But it’s also a highly concentrated source of PFAS.
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are toxic, synthetic chemicals found in many consumer products around the world since 1950.
They are sometimes called forever chemicals because they may last as long in the environment.
They can contaminate groundwater and drinking water supply, even at small levels, thought there has been no trace of PFAS in Pasco’s water following tests in the last two years.
Removing the foam also benefits the health of firefighter, who are known to have higher levels of PFAS in their blood. They come into contact with many chemicals, Pasco Fire Department Battalion Chief Mike Maier said.
Ecology program eliminates toxic foam
A 2018 state law restricts the sale, manufacturing and use of AFFF for fire training. It hasn’t been sold in Washington for the last five years.
But it’s not yet banned.
The Department of Ecology’s AFFF collection and disposal program helps local fire departments and first responder organizations like the Pasco Fire Department safely dispose of unused, unsafe foam.
Pasco stopped using AFFF about a year ago. It was taken out of use on trucks, which also have been deep cleaned to meet state requirements.
The FAA requires fire departments servicing airports to have firefighting foam. Alternatively, Pasco fire crews started using flourine-free foam, or F3 foam, a safer, PFAS-free option.
Around 140 gallons of liquid foam were picked up Friday by Clear Harbors waste management.
They will be transported to Spokane and then loaded onto a truck headed to Utah.
The barrels of foam will be incinerated at high temperatures and with the proper hold times and mixing rates to destroy PFAS.
The Department of Ecology has funding for the program through mid-2027.
This story was originally published November 22, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Pasco 1st to remove ‘forever chemical’ firefighting foam under new WA program."
