This property has a documented history as a facility using PFAS-containing firefighting foam going back to 1982. Historical insurance policies issued during those prior operations and through 1986 could fund a cleanup — and recover costs already spent.
The Eastside Fire & Rescue Headquarters at 555 NW Holly St was constructed in 1982 and used aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) in firefighting training activities from the early 1980s through the late 1990s. Those training activities contaminated soil and groundwater with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which have since been confirmed at the site and detected in the City's water supply. Cleanup is underway under the Standard Cleanup program, currently centered on a granular activated carbon treatment system filtering PFAS from the water supply, alongside management and disposal of investigation-derived waste including soil cuttings and contaminated water. The remediation is a multi-year effort with an estimated total cost of $221,802, with additional characterization and remediation tasks still planned. That history could support an insurance cost recovery claim against carriers who issued insurance policies 40+ years ago.
Why Historical Insurance Policies May Be Accessible
Pre-1986 Commercial General Liability (CGL) policies were occurrence-based and did not contain an effective pollution exclusion in Washington. If contamination occurred while those policies were active, those historical insurance carriers may still have a legal obligation to fund the cleanup costs, even if the business closed or the property changed hands.
AFFF-based training at this facility began in the early 1980s, placing the contamination's origin firmly within the era when occurrence-based Commercial General Liability policies carried no effective pollution exclusion in Washington. Repeated AFFF training exercises produced the type of gradual, accumulating release that pre-1986 CGL policies were structured to cover. The documented and projected expenditures here — groundwater treatment infrastructure, waste disposal, investigative work, and future remediation — represent costs that historical carriers whose policies were in force during those training years may be obligated both to recover and to fund going forward.
Restorical's role is to locate viable historical policies, determine whether a successful coverage claim is possible, and assist our clients and their legal counsel to obtain insurance coverage. Restorical then manages the claim, including accounting, to ensure the cleanup is funded in a timely manner.
What We Look For
- Historical insurance policies (pre-1986)
- Policy numbers, carrier names, and coverage periods
- Connection between contamination timing and policy period
- Evidence linking cleanup obligation to insured activity
What We Deliver
- Historical Coverage Chart
- Trigger Analysis & Property/Policy Nexus
- Coverage strategy with recommendations
- Insurance funding for your remediation
- Claims Management & Forensic Accounting
The Restorical Proven Process
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Contact UsThis analysis is preliminary and based on publicly available records. Restorical Research is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
