Quincy finance committee holds bond request for PFAS‑contaminated firefighter gear after expert testimony and public outcry

Quincy City Council’s Finance Committee heard more than four hours of testimony March 16 on a $2,646,730 bond authorization to replace the city’s firefighter turnout gear after laboratory tests flagged PFAS and brominated flame retardants in multiple equipment batches.

Interim Fire Chief Gary Smith told the committee the department’s testing — led by Professor Graham Peasley of the University of Notre Dame and corroborated by Duke and North Carolina State — found levels of PFAS inconsistent with the manufacturers’ written claims that certain gear was PFAS‑free. "Research and testing have proven that the personal protective equipment our firefighters are currently wearing contains dangerous levels of chemicals known as PFAS," Smith said, calling the findings a public‑safety and occupational‑health issue for firefighters and their families.

The union representing Quincy's firefighters, Local 792, and its president Tom Bose described a year‑long investigation that sent samples from 2019 through July 2025 for independent analysis. Bose said the union’s testing identified multiple batches sold as PFAS‑free that nonetheless contained PFAS and in some cases high levels of brominated flame retardants. "We do not believe based on the work we have done to date that we have any clean sets of gear in the department," Bose told the committee.

Professor Peasley explained testing protocols and the public‑health rationale for moving to PFAS‑free gear. He said his lab’s surface and destructive analyses show PFAS concentrations that in his view indicate intentional addition to some materials and that PFAS readily transfer from gear to hands and skin. "I found staggering levels of PFAS in some samples," Peasley said, describing both non‑destructive swab tests and gold‑standard LC‑MS analyses used by multiple labs.

Municipal finance staff presented a 10‑year borrowing scenario for the purchase, estimating interest of roughly $785,625 and an annual debt service of about $325,000; officials calculated the debt service would raise the average residential tax bill about $7.97 per year over a 10‑year bond. City legal counsel said the city is exploring possible claims against manufacturers while noting that litigation is still in early stages.

Council members pressed presenters on the number and provenance of tested sets (five Quincy's sets were tested; one set was tested three times at separate labs), on whether manufacturers disclosed brominated flame retardants, on expected life span (NFPA guidance suggests a 10‑year service life for turnout gear), on cross‑contamination risks in extractor washers and on procurement language to require independent, destructive testing when necessary. Presenters said testing had been coordinated with national experts, that some batches purchased in March 2025 likely came from the same production roll and thus may reflect a systemic production problem, and that PFAS‑free alternatives exist and have been bench‑tested.

Councilor Deona moved to approve the bond authorization. After a roll‑call vote the motion failed 4–5 and the order remained in committee. Several councilors requested an executive‑session briefing on pending or contemplated legal actions and scheduled follow‑up Finance Committee consideration; the committee chair proposed an additional meeting to finish the record and review legal briefings.

Public comment in the full council meeting echoed support for replacing contaminated gear. Dozens of firefighters, family members and residents urged the council to move quickly; several described cancer diagnoses among department members. Fiscal and process questions also surfaced in open forum, including whether free cash or other reserves could have been used instead of bonding and requests for detail on procurement and disposal of contaminated gear.

Next steps: the Finance Committee will reconvene to complete deliberations, receive any requested legal briefings in executive session, and consider updated procurement language and financing options before a further vote.