Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class James Finney | Joint Task Force-Red Hill (JTF-RH) commander, U.S. Navy Vice Adm. John Wade (right),...... read more read more
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HONOLULU – Joint Task Force-Red Hill (JTF-RH) announced the findings from the investigation of the Nov. 29 Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) concentrate release at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility (RHBFSF) today and published video footage of the incident and a fact sheet.
“I ordered this investigation to determine what caused the accidental release of AFFF concentrate and to reduce the risk of a future mishap,” said JTF-RH Commander Vice Adm. John Wade. “A focused investigation allowed us to effectively determine how and why the release occurred. We used this information to immediately implement risk reduction measures across the entire facility and to notify the Department of Defense (DoD) of actions that can be taken to further reduce risk in areas outside the purview of JTF-RH. The safe and expeditious defueling of Red Hill remains our top priority to protect the people and environment of Hawaii.”
On Nov. 29, 2022, there was an inadvertent release of approximately 1,300 gallons of AFFF liquid concentrate at the Adit 6 tunnel near the top of the RHBFSF.
The AFFF concentrate was discharged from a containment vessel inside Adit 6. The concentrate pooled on the floor inside the facility and then seeped under a door and onto a paved access road as well as soil on the edge of the paved road outside of Adit 6. Federal Firefighters, contractors, and government civilians from Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam responded to the site and took actions to contain the release, including removal of impacted asphalt and soil. Notifications were made that afternoon to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Hawaii Department of Health (DOH), as well as senior DoD officials, legislators and other stakeholders.
An outdoor video camera pointed towards the Adit 6 entrance captured the moment AFFF concentrate began to seep under the door and recorded personnel and first responders arriving on site. The video was shared with State and Federal regulators to assist in their investigation and remediation efforts. The video footage in its entirety is now available to the public.
To ensure the AFFF concentrate did not migrate, AFFF impacted soil, asphalt, and concrete (to include an underground culvert), was removed shortly after the release and the voids were backfilled with clean fill (soil or gravel). With DOH and EPA concurrence, the areas were then paved. Further, the Navy completed soil testing in mid-December, with weekly groundwater sampling still ongoing at nine monitoring wells and the Red Hill Shaft. Validated Navy groundwater monitoring sample results in the affected area show no exceedances of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) based on DOH Environmental Action Levels and EPA Regional Screening Levels following the November AFFF spill.
An investigation was convened on Dec. 2, 2022. Vice Adm. Wade appointed Major General Richard Heitkamp, the Deputy Commanding General of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as the investigating officer to conduct a focused investigation to determine what caused the inadvertent release.
The investigation found that a maintenance contractor improperly installed an air vacuum valve to the AFFF system just inside the Adit 6 tunnel in April 2022. This coupled with the same contractor’s failure to disable or lock-out the AFFF concentrate pumps from automatically starting prior to conducting fire suppression system testing on Nov. 29, 2022, caused the uncontrolled discharge of approximately 1,300 gallons of AFFF concentrate at the RHBFSF.
The Navy’s quality assurance process did not identify and remedy the improperly installed air vacuum valve in April 2022 that led to the inadvertent AFFF release. Further, in Vice Adm. Wade’s view, stricter safeguards and more assertive Navy oversight should have been in place to reduce the risk of this type of mishap.
In accordance with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command direction on Dec. 6, 2022, JTF-RH’s mission was expanded from repairs, enhancements, and modifications required to set conditions for defueling to also include implementation of centralized management and safety controls at the RHBFSF to reduce risk of future mishaps. To sufficiently execute these expanded responsibilities, over 100 military personnel were added to the JTF-RH team and the following actions were taken:
JTF-RH established physical control of the RHBFSF. JTF-RH personnel now manage the two controlled access points.
JTF-RH now oversees all security screening and badging of any personnel requesting to enter the RHBFSF.
All maintenance, repair, and environmental remediation contractors who enter the RHBFSF require a military escort at all times with the requisite knowledge to provide appropriate oversight of their actions.
JTF-RH has implemented a robust risk management process. In addition to repairs, enhancements and modifications to set conditions for defueling, all other activities at Red Hill must be coordinated, de-conflicted and synchronized. This process occurs during the Red Hill Defueling Coordination and De-confliction Working Group. Once complete, all these activities are consolidated into a single integrated weekly schedule which is then approved by the JTF-RH commander. Separately, any activity characterized as “high risk” is approved by the JTF-RH commander only after a detailed brief covering the procedures, hazards, and mitigations that will be taken to reduce risk. Any activity characterized as “significant risk” requires U.S. Indo-Pacific Command review and approval. Access to the RHBFSF is limited only to activities that are on the approved schedule.
JTF-RH has established procedures to maintain real-time visibility of all approved activities in order to have awareness of who is doing what and where at the RHBFSF
A single Lock-Out / Tag-Out Program has been established under the purview of JTF-RH. It has been implemented to ensure a safe, methodical, and auditable approach to disabling and energizing systems or equipment necessary for maintenance or repairs.
JTF-RH has implemented enhanced procedures and training to protect the health and welfare of first responders and personnel involved in the clean-up of AFFF-containing PFAS or of any hazardous material (HAZMAT). New procedures have been incorporated into the JTF-RH training program to ensure personnel are familiar with the actions that must be taken in the event of an AFFF spill or of a HAZMAT spill.
Following the investigation, the below actions have been taken per JTF-RH’s recommendation:
The investigation has been forwarded to the Department of the Navy to undertake a review of possible contractor liability for the inadvertent discharge.
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command has requested the Department of the Navy evaluate its quality assurance program for all Navy-let RHBFSF contracts and make any adjustments deemed necessary to further reduce risk of future mishaps associated with ongoing defueling, maintenance, and closure activities.
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command has directed its Service Components to review the quality assurance mechanisms in place for oversight of maintenance and repair work by contractors on systems containing hazardous materials. Further, a 30-day review has been directed to (1) identify sources of HAZMAT or other substances such as PFAS-containing AFFF that present risk to human health or the environment, (2) ensure effective controls are in place to protect the environment and, (3) practice response protocols.
Navy Region Hawaii and Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command continue to conduct environmental testing as they fully remediate the site.
A link to the investigation, the video footage, and the video timeline and a link to the key events in the video footage can be found at: https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/JTF-RH.
The faces of workers and first responders in the video have been obscured to shield their identity and protect their privacy.
For more information about JTF-RH, or to provide public comment via the contact form, please visit https://www.pacom.mil/JTF-Red-Hill/.(End)
| Date Taken: | 05.05.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 05.05.2023 19:49 |
| Story ID: | 444158 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 315 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Joint Task Force – Red Hill Announces AFFF Investigation Findings and Publishes Video Footage, by Capt. Kitsana Dounglomchan, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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