Snohomish County staff told the Planning and Community Development Committee on June 3 that the county would seek authorization for a consultant services agreement with Clean Harbors Company to deep-clean three aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) vehicles to remove PFAS-containing foam, and the contract was placed on the June 11 consent agenda for full council consideration.

Ryan Hembry, council staff, said the contract would help the county comply with Washington state requirements to transition airports to fluorine-free foam (F3) by Sept. 30, 2025. Hembry said the cleaning work will follow the Washington State Department of Ecology's best-management practices for deep cleaning fire equipment contaminated with PFAS-containing firefighting foam and that Snohomish County Purchasing issued RFP number 20Five-four24BC for ARFF vehicle cleaning.

Hembry told the committee the purpose of the contract with Clean Harbors is to remove PFAS from the tanks of three existing fire trucks. He said there were three responsive bidders and that Clean Harbors was chosen based on qualifications and price; the contract is not to exceed $144,377.11. A committee member commented, "This is kind of a big deal. Washington state has really led on PFAS foam," and said they were glad to see the work happening at the airport because PFAS can get into the water supply and "can do some pretty significant damage." After no objections, Acting Committee Chair Lowe moved the item to the June 11 consent agenda.

The committee did not award the contract at the meeting; it placed the authorization on the full council consent agenda for a future decision. The staff presentation identified the Ecology guidance and the state transition deadline as the regulatory drivers for the cleaning work.