Chemical leak at Franklin company leads to highest level of state hazmat response

Norman Miller, The Milford Daily News
·2 min read

FRANKLIN — A chemical leak Tuesday at a company on Forge Parkway led to the response of dozens of emergency workers, authorities said.

Fire Chief James McLaughlin said a mechanical failure appears to be the cause of a sodium potassium leak at Dynisco, a private company that builds sensing and polymer testing equipment for the plastic industry, at 38 Forge Parkway.

"It took us quite a while to stop the release (of the chemical)," McLaughlin said. "It (sodium potassium) is pretty reactive to water and humidity — of all days, humidity."

Firefighters responded to the business after an alarm sounded at about 8:55 a.m. All employees had evacuated by the time firefighters arrived, with one employee telling them there had been a fire in a room used to make tools for the plastic industry, but it had "self-extinguished," McLaughlin said.

Dozens of state hazmat team members joined Franklin firefighters on Tuesday in responding to a chemical leak at Dynisco.
Dozens of state hazmat team members joined Franklin firefighters on Tuesday in responding to a chemical leak at Dynisco.

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Firefighters checked the room and discovered the chemical leak. The Fire Department contacted the state Hazardous Materials Unit, which arrived within 30 minutes. Initially, the incident was deemed a Tier 2 hazmat response, but was soon upgraded to the highest level, Tier 3. That brought in 45 members of the hazmat team, McLaughlin said.

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection also responded, and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency was also involved, the chief added.

Dynisco employees able to guide hazmat workers to key locations

The room where the leak occurred contained cameras monitoring it. Employees were able to watch the hazmat team as they entered the room and directed them to properly shut down all equipment and stop the leak, McLaughlin said. The process took almost six hours.

"It was great use of technology," said McLaughlin. "Technology was used to our advantage today."

Founded in 1953, Dynisco makes pressure and temperature measurement and control products for the plastics extrusion industry. Besides Franklin, it has operations in Germany and Malaysia, according to its website.

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McLaughlin said the company did everything right in how it handled the emergency, from shutting down the room to evacuating all employees.

The cause of the mechanical failure is not known and is being investigated.

"It went well," said McLaughlin. "No one was hurt. There was no threat to the public and we had great cooperation between all of the agencies and the company."

No one from Dynisco could be reached for comment on Tuesday.

Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on X @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.

This article originally appeared on The Milford Daily News: Chemical leak at Franklin business leads to large hazmat response