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Emergency Agencies Prepare for Wildfire at W.R. Grace Mine

By Beacon Staff

Lincoln County recently accepted a $25,000 federal grant to conduct a practice drill to be ready should a wildfire ever break out near the old W.R. Grace and Co. mine site, now known as Operable Unit 3.

Local and federal officials in Libby are concerned about a large forest fire starting near the mine site and sending asbestos-contaminated smoke into the valley. If a fire did start, plans call for officials to deploy air quality monitors throughout Libby. Emergency management director Victor White said the Department of Homeland Security grant will help pay for a practice run in the spring of 2013.

“It’s like any emergency preparation,” White said. “We don’t think the dam is going to break, but we have a plan just in case it does.”

For years, W.R. Grace mined asbestos-laced vermiculate northeast of Libby. The mine closed in 1990, but the effects of the poisonous asbestos have lasted for years. The asbestos dust has sickened more than 1,700 people and killed 400. The Environmental Protection Agency’s cleanup began in 1999 and has cost more than $400 million. The highest concentration of the asbestos dust is in Operable Unit 3, which includes the mine site and surrounding forest.

According to Superfund project manager Christina Progress, the EPA is studying the effects asbestos-contaminated smoke would have on public health. Because it would be dangerous to perform a test burn within the contaminated area, Progress said what information the agency has is limited. Recently, the EPA burned an asbestos dust sample in a lab. Although some of the asbestos did contaminate the smoke, most if it remained in the ash on the ground.

“It’s tough to get an exact picture of what (a fire) would be like out there,” Progress said. “We’re trying to get this data to everyone as soon as possible.”

If a fire were to start near the mine site and smoke drifted into the valley, mobile air quality sensors could be dispatched throughout the valley. Data gathered from those monitors would help officials decide if the smoke was dangerous.

According to Charlie Webster, forest fire management officer for the Kootenai National Forest, the area near the mine has averaged four fire starts a year, but most are small. Last year there were no fires.

One group more at risk than most would be firefighters. Webster said a team of 12 specialty-trained firefighters is stationed on the Kootenai National Forest just in case a large fire starts in Operable Unit 3. Each member of the crew is outfitted with a powered air-purifying respirator that helps the firefighter breathe in smoky and dusty conditions. Webster said the Forest Service’s first line of defense is to fight the fire from the air with planes and helicopters.

“Fire in this area of the Kootenai National Forest is our highest priority,” he said. “We put it all out.”

Lincoln County Commissioner Tony Berget said the county is even considering expanding the Libby airport so that larger air tankers could land and take off locally to battle a fire near the mine site.

White said a drill this coming spring would include Lincoln County emergency management personal, the Forest Service, the EPA and local first responders.

“The reason we’re doing this is not to alarm the public,” he said. “We just need to be sure that we are ready to gather information to inform the public (if it happened).”