Kenai approves funds to decontaminate equipment and buy PFAS-free firefighting foam for airport

The Kenai City Council voted May 6 to authorize additional funding and award a contract to replace firefighting foam at the Kenai Municipal Airport after officials said the existing product contained long-lasting PFAS chemicals (the transcript referred to it as "triple F" and PFOS).

City Manager Eubank explained the project requires decontaminating equipment that currently contains legacy foam, disposing of the PFOS-containing stock, and purchasing a newly developed replacement product that has been approved for airport use by the U.S. military and the FAA. "We have to decontaminate our existing equipment... Those things have to be cleaned and decontaminated," Eubank said.

Public works staff said the new foam is expected to take about 12 weeks to ship and the city plans a staggered cleaning process so trucks remain available. Council member Petty confirmed the airport will keep current foam deployed until safe replacements are in service.

A substitute ordinance reflecting a corrected bid number reduced the overall cost slightly; council enacted the substitute ordinance by unanimous vote.

Staff said the scope includes competitive procurement for the replacement foam and contracted cleaning/disposal services; the city will follow hazardous material and disposal requirements as it removes and disposes of PFOS-containing materials.