I wish to offer my perspective regarding the recent political fallout and grandstanding from the AFFF accidental discharge at Maine Regional Redevelopment Authority Hangar 4. It’s discouraging to hear Sen. Mattie Daughtry asking for the resignation of Kristine Logan, MRRA director, as a result of the spill. Daughtry mentions a lack of transparency as one of her motives.

I would ask Sen. Daughtry how many MRRA board meetings she has attended in the last four years. The board meetings are held quarterly and are open to her and her staff to attend. If she had attended, she would have realized that AFFF management has been a very frequent and important topic over the years. She and her staff could have been part of a solution, possibly bringing the resources of the State of Maine to assist. Instead, she was absent. Where were her concerns for transparency then if she couldn’t even manage to routinely attend these board meetings? I challenge her to state what percentage of the meetings in the last four years she has attended. Did she not have any concerns over this system that MRRA inherited from the Navy? Did she make any inquiries? And yes, the minutes are public record. Did she ever question the direction taken by the board in any of these meetings, in person or via official correspondence? Lets hear from the senator on this topic.

All too often we find our current day politicians trying to advance themselves through the vicious disgracing of others from opposing or competing organizations. Is that what we are seeing here? She references an earlier evaluation of the AFFF system. Did these reports specifically identify the component(s) that failed and triggered the discharge? Well, Senator, did they? Where is your transparency on this report? Were your concerns voiced then, years back when you could have attended these meetings where AFFF management was an often recurring topic?

Let’s look back to the beginning. If I recall, the federal government tasked MRRA to convert a large majority of Naval Air Station Brunswick to civilian use with emphasis on creating a strong diverse business environment to offset the many jobs lost to the local community when the base shut down. Included in this transition are the aviation facilities which per the Federal Aviation Administration must continue to support general aviation. This includes the aircraft hangars. These hangars were designated for aircraft storage and maintenance, with fire protection systems designed to meet military and National Fire Protection Association standards. MRRA inherited these system AS IS! That being so, the hangars must be protected in the event of a aircraft fire, which may involve tens of thousands of gallons of burning aviation fuel. One can only imagine the inferno that’s created when 10,000-plus gallons of aviation fuel are burning within these buildings. I can’t image the loss of equipment and potential loss of life if these systems were not in place.

To safeguard in the event of a fire, the FAA requires these facilities be protected per NFPA standards. In a nutshell, these standards require sloped floors with high capacity drainage grates to quickly transport the burning liquids and AFFF out of the building to a safeguard retention pond from which the fluids can burn off a distance from the hangar. To suppress the hangar fire is a fast-acting AFFF discharge system to quickly blanket the potential high volume of burning fuel. While no firefighting agent is perfect, AFFF is an industry standard used throughout the military and general aviation community for decades. It has only been the last decade that the concerns of PFAS have risen, as well as our ability to measure down to parts per billion. These chemicals have been common place for decades. The risks must be offset by the gains.

Does anyone remember Teflon-coated pans? Teflon is a PFAS, and where are those pans now — landfills, etc.? And where did those particles go when you scraped your scrambled eggs with a metal utensil? Just think about it. Teflon tape (PFAS) is a sealant still in use for threaded water piping connections in residential and commercial housing. We still use it, don’t we? Is the senator proposing we remove that from the shelves? The senator may wish to look at her own home and evaluate whether she wants it re-plumbed. My gosh, is Teflon piping tape used at her Moderation Brewery? Is there a double standard here? Are patrons being exposed to PFAS at HER facility?

Bottom line, it’s very easy to cast stones after the fact. A real political leader is one that gets involved and contributes in a proactive to help eliminate events like this in a proactive way. In addition, I’ll ask this pointed question: Have any of the public had their health affected from this discharge? Have any drinking water wells or public drinking water been found to contain dangerous amounts of PFAS from this discharge? Have local Brunswick business incurred a loss of income from this event? I’m waiting to hear back, Senator.

Just my 3 cents on this topic.

Stephen Savoie is a Bowdoinham resident.