BUTTE — BUTTE — Butte-Silver Bow County is joining a class action lawsuit against the manufacturer of fire suits that allegedly contain forever chemicals.
“We are here, you know, to help better our community and when something like this comes about, we jump on it. We get on it right away,” says Matt Enrooth, Butte-Silver Bow County Attorney.
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Enrooth says he was contacted by law firms from Kalispell, Billings and one out-of-state firm that specializes in these kinds of federal cases.
On April 2, Butte-Silver Bow County commissioners voted unanimously to join the litigation as the class representative in the lawsuit that was filed on Friday in U.S. District Court.
“So, it’s happening all over the country. There are couple of PFAS litigation cases pending,” says Enrooth.
PFAS, or forever chemicals, are a group of synthetic chemical compounds that have been found in everything from carpets, shampoo, feminine hygiene products, and even yoga pants.
"So, these are chemicals that do not degrade; they’re there for a very, very long time. They can be in water, they can be, you know, in clothing, including our firefighter turnout gear,” says Enrooth.
In a press release, attorneys representing Butte-Silver Bow say that more than 1 million firefighters face heightened risks due to contact with PFAS in the line of duty and up to 70 percent of firefighters are predicted to die eventually from cancer—numbers that are significantly higher than that of the general population.
“The manufacturers of firefighter turnout gear colluded in attempting to conceal the risks of PFAS in turnout gear, all the while failing to provide PFAS-free options, despite at all relevant times being technologically and economically feasible,” says Ash Klann, of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, a law firm based in Seattle, Washington.
“So, hopefully what the outcome is going to be is that we are able to replace approximately 173 to 174 sets of turnout for our current career and volunteer fire department,” says Enrooth.
According to the lawsuit, firefighter turnout suits cost around $3000 to replace and would cost Butte an estimated $500,000 to replace gear for firefighters.
“Firefighter turnout gear is not only expensive but also necessary to support first responders saving lives and staying safe while doing so,” said Steve Berman, managing partner at Hagens Berman. “We believe fire departments across the nation have shouldered the financial responsibility of replacing turnout gear upon learning of the risks of PFAS, and we believe they deserve help.”
