By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- Maine’s occupational safety and health program for public employers cited six fire departments after the May 15 Robbins Lumber explosion in Searsmont but waived nearly all of the $108,000 in proposed penalties.
- The cited departments are Appleton, Belmont, Lincolnville, Montville, Morrill and Searsmont; all six were cited for being unable to track firefighters’ locations, and five for issues with protective equipment, including breathing apparatus.
- Bureau of Labor Standards Director Kate Burkhart said the penalties were waived so the departments could “prioritize their limited resources” on improving firefighter safety.
- Burkhart said the departments have resolved the equipment issues and that the state is working to help them improve location-tracking systems through training.
- The explosion and fire killed Morrill firefighter Andrew Cross, Searsmont Assistant Fire Chief Wayne Woodbury and mill co-owner Alden Robbins, and injured at least 10 others.
AUGUSTA, Maine — The state has cited six fire departments in the wake of the deadly Searsmont lumber yard explosion but waived nearly all of the $108,000 in penalties, the Bangor Daily News reported.
Maine’s Bureau of Labor Standards, a unit of the Maine Department of Labor, cited the Appleton, Belmont, Lincolnville, Montville, Morrill and Searsmont departments. All six were cited because they could not keep track of firefighters’ locations, while five were cited over issues with personal protective equipment, including breathing apparatus. The state waived nearly all penalties so the departments could prioritize their limited resources on improving firefighter safety, said Bureau Director Kate Burkhart.
“We are responsible for ensuring that people working for state, county, and municipal governments and other public employers have safe workplaces,” Burkhart said in a Tuesday statement. “We do that best when we balance enforcement with supporting public employers as they address violations to improve safety, mitigate hazards and reduce the risk of future harm to employees.” She said all the departments have resolved the equipment problems, and the state is helping with training to improve location-tracking systems.
The fire broke out about 10:05 a.m. May 15 at the Robbins Lumber campus off Route 131, in an area where wood shavings are packed in plastic bags, and spread to a nearby silo. The silo was about 20% full of sawdust and wood shavings. Its fire suppression system did not activate because temperatures at the top had not risen enough to trigger it. According to a federal investigation, firefighters poured water into the silo and the room at its base, unaware that this added oxygen and stirred up suspended dust into an explosive mixture. The silo exploded without warning about 11 a.m.
Nearly 300 firefighters from 46 departments across four counties responded. Morrill firefighter Andrew Cross, 27, died at the scene. Searsmont Assistant Fire Chief Wayne Woodbury died of his injuries June 14, and company co-owner Alden Robbins died July 2. At least 10 other people, including first responders, a mill employee and another co-owner, were hurt.
The mill, a leading supplier of eastern white pine products with roots in Searsmont that stretch back nearly 150 years, resumed operations May 26.