Kmart Fire Response Support and Air Monitoring

MFA worked with Farallon Consulting and their client, Prologis, Inc. to develop plans, interface with public agencies, and conduct air monitoring to prevent community members from being overexposed to hazardous materials following a fire at a former Kmart building in Portland, Oregon. 

When a fire burned an abandoned Kmart building, residents and public agencies feared that the fire released hazardous materials, such as asbestos, into the community, and subsequent demolition activities would lead to additional exposure to contaminants. MFA coordinated with the project team and public agencies to demonstrate that the building had undergone asbestos abatement before the fire and asbestos was not identified in the air or fire debris after extensive sampling. MFA developed and implemented an air monitoring plan during the building demolition to demonstrate that controls effectively prevented community exposure to unsafe levels of contaminants. This project highlights the importance of an interdisciplinary approach and effective risk communication when managing work that involves the public, workers, and agencies, in the face of a destructive event.