Grant Bissell, KSDK8:52 p.m. EST February 17, 2014
After yesterday’s above-ground fire at the Bridgeton Landfill, we wanted to know what kind of safety measures are in place to protect residents near the landfill.
ST. LOUIS (KSDK) – Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster is taking a close look at Sunday’s above-ground fire at the Bridgeton Landfill and how it was handled.
Koster talked Monday with representatives from the landfill and the Pattonville Fire Protection District in an effort to assess the way Republic Services responded to the fire and how they notified emergency crews.
There’s a response plan in place for situations like Sunday’s fire. Republic Services crews are supposed to call police and fire departments along with St. Louis County Emergency Management officials and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
But firefighters say those calls were never made.
On Monday Koster told NewsChannel 5 there was a “communication breakdown” and landfill officials should have done a better job spreading the word about the fire.
NewsChannel 5 asked Koster what power he has to make sure Republic follows the plan in the future.
“I want to focus at this point not on punishing Republic for something that may or may not have occurred yesterday, but making certain that everything that happens in the future has the safety of firefighters and the safety of the community foremost in everybody’s mind,” Koster said.
Republic Services released a statement that said in part the company will review the entire incident to include notification of and coordination with first responders.
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