Proposed settlement reflects EMR contractor\u2019s recommendations<\/p>\n
Many of the requirements in the proposed settlement agreement reflect recommendations from a contractor hired by EMR to review the company\u2019s fire safety procedures in the wake of the May 29 fire.\n<\/p>\n
During that fire, EMR\u2019s fire suppression system \u2014 completed about a month prior <\/a>\u2014 helped contain the fire but partially malfunctioned<\/a>, according to Camden Fire Chief Jesse Flax.\n<\/p>\n A copy of the June 9 report prepared by R. Thomas Long, Jr.<\/a>, an engineer with the consulting firm Exponent, shows he recommended EMR \u201ccomplete installation and perform site acceptance testing\u201d of the fire suppression system, and employ a 24\/7 fire watch to patrol the facility until that is complete. Long also recommended EMR develop a standard operating procedure for the fire suppression system, train employees to use it on automatic and manual modes, and develop a standard operating procedure for fire response that includes only removing debris from a burning pile when water is being applied to it. After a four-alarm fire in 2025, firefighters wrote in a post-incident report that EMR employees had worsened the fire<\/a> by moving burning material from the scrap metal pile onto a conveyor belt leading into the shredder.\n<\/p>\n Possible settlement comes after Camden Mayor said \u2018enough is enough\u2019<\/p>\n The proposed settlement strikes a more conciliatory tone than city leaders adopted just over a month ago after the May 29 fire at EMR\u2019s shredder. That day, Camden Mayor Victor Carstarphen, City Council President Angel Fuentes and City Council Vice President Arthur Barclay called for county, state and federal agencies to shut down the facility.\u00a0<\/a>\n <\/p>\n \u201cEnough is enough,\u201d Carstarphen said at the time. \u201cThe city has worked with EMR to improve facilities, but today, this morning, having another two-alarm fire that occurred is truly unacceptable.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \u201cWe entered into a MOU agreement with EMR \u2026 to improve the quality of life of [the] Waterfront South community in the city of Camden,\u201d he added. \u201cAnd after all of this, after numerous fires, numerous attempts to help EMR prevent future fires, here we are again. \u2026 This will no longer be tolerated by me, my colleagues, elected officials here and more importantly our residents.\u201d\n<\/p>\n