The
Kansas City Fire Department (KCKFD) responded to a fire that initiated due to unknown causes
at the Advantage Metals Recycling located at 1153 South 12th Street,
Kansas City, Kansas 66105 early in the morning on May 19, 2023.
Around
10:00 a.m. the same day, U.S. EPA Region 7 (EPA) assistance was requested by the Kansas
Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) to provide environmental monitoring
support.
EPA dispatched federal On-Scene Coordinators (OSCs) along with laboratory field deployable support and technical
assistance contractors to monitor and sample emissions from the fire. Wyandotte
County/Kansas City, Kansas (WYCOKCK) Emergency management Agency (EMA)
Operations Manager and KCKFD Assistant Chief -- serving as Incident Commander -- were
on-scene coordinating the local response efforts. The Incident Commander also worked closely with the Fire Marshal.
After
meeting with, and in coordination with on-site incident command, EPA began
conducting real-time air monitoring for particulates, volatile organic
compounds (VOCs), and ambient air quality parameters (Carbon Monoxide (CO),
Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen Monoxide (NO), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), and
Nitrogen Oxides (NOX). Additionally, laboratory air samples for VOCs and
laboratory water samples for metals, VOCs and semi-volatile organic compounds
(SVOCs) were collected. Detailed maps of sample locations as well as sampling
and monitoring data are in the documents section of this website.
As firefighting efforts were conducted, real-time air monitoring data was shared with
the IC for their decision making and risk communication. The Public Information Officer (PIO) for the KCKFD coordinated with the EPA Region 7 Emergency Response PIO on messaging
on the data collected during the fire event.
Air quality in the Kansas City metropolitan area
was impacted by smoke and particulate matter from the Canadian wildfires as it
moved its way through the region on Friday, May 19 – the same day the fire at
Advantage Metals Recycling occurred. A Code Orange – using EPA’s Air Quality Index – was issued for the Kansas City metropolitan area due to the smoke from
the Canadian wildfires. Air quality data collected at outdoor monitors across the United States is also available on the AirData page.
EPA demobilized from the site at approximately 7
p.m. on May 19, 2023.
The
following agencies are involved with the response:
- Kansas City Kansas Fire Department
- Unified Government of WYCOKCK
- Unified Government Emergency Management/Health
- Kansas State Fire Marshals Office
- Kansas Department of Health & Environment
- EPA Region 7
- National Response Center (NRC)
- National Weather Service (NWS)
- Kansas City Kansas Police Department
- Kansas City Kansas Public Works
- Kansas City Kansas Water Pollution Control
- Johnson County, Kansas, Consolidated Fire District 1
- Kansas City, Missouri,
Aviation Department
