Fire brigade mistake after major fire: Shredder scandal in Herbertingen!

Fire brigade mistake after major fire: Shredder scandal in Herbertingen!

For 18 years everything in Herbertingen has revolved around a major fire that broke out in a shredder plant in August 2007. A ruling by the Sigmaringen Administrative Court has now brought a breath of fresh air into the legal disputes surrounding the incident. While the court upheld the company's lawsuit against a remediation order from the district office, the fire department was named as the main cause of the environmental contamination. This shines a bright light on the impact of improper deletion methods.

The fire, which broke out in an approximately 8,000 square meter scrap heap, resulted in the fire department using over 120,000 liters of extinguishing foam containing perfluorinated and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFC). These chemicals, known for their longevity and harmful environmental and health effects, seeped into the ground and contaminated groundwater. The consequences were serious: a drinking water well in the nearby community of Ertingen had to be shut down in 2012 due to PFC contamination. “The use of extinguishing agents containing PFCs has already led to the closure of numerous drinking water fountains in the past,” notes the Federal Environment Agency.

Bad decisions by the fire department

The court found that the fire department made a “serious error in decision-making” when it used disproportionate amounts of the toxic foam. This measure took place even though the situation of the fire was stable and there were no adequate protective measures against the contaminated extinguishing water seeping into unpaved areas. Furthermore, the formation of a “lake of fire water” showed that the retention system was overwhelmed, which ultimately led to soil contamination.

The Sigmaringen district office was subsequently forced to ask the shredder plant to renovate the area, but this was contested by the company. In May 2023, the administrative court overturned this restructuring order and assigned responsibility to the fire department. “The behavior of the fire department was so serious that possible contributory contributions from the shredder plant were pushed into the background,” are the reasons for the verdict.

A dirty legacy

The verdict is not yet final. The district office has the opportunity to file an appeal within one month. It remains to be seen how the situation will develop further, because the environmental damage is enormous. The shredder plant now bears no responsibility for cleaning the groundwater and does not have to cover the costs of around four million euros that are estimated for the cleanup. This raises questions about the extent of responsibility for environmental crimes and who bears the costs.

One lesson from this case could be that caution should be exercised when using extinguishing agents containing PFCs. The Federal Environment Agency recommends replacing such chemicals with fluorine-free alternatives as they can contribute significantly to environmental pollution. “The measurability of PFAS in groundwater can take weeks to decades and cleaning them up is complex and expensive,” reminds the authority. Not only Herbertingen is confronted with this problem, but also many municipalities in Germany that have to struggle with similar challenges.

The events in Herbertingen are a warning signal for all responsible authorities, who may have to find other solutions for dealing with such fire brigade operations in the future.