Crime & Safety

Golden Gate Ferry Hosts 'Mass-Casualty' Emergency Drill on Bay

By Bay City News Service

Dozens of agencies from throughout the Bay Area are participating in an emergency response drill on the San Francisco Bay today, a bridge district spokeswoman said.

The Golden Gate Ferry division of the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District is hosting the interagency exercise, spokeswoman Mary Currie said.

According to law enforcement officials, the exercise has been designed to test the response to a security-related event occurring in multiple jurisdictions on the San Francisco Bay and concurrently on two ferries — a 715-passenger Golden Gate Ferry and a 500-passenger Alcatraz Cruises ferry. The exercise will include a mass casualty incident resulting in fire and smoke, as well as passenger injuries.  

The U.S. Coast Guard has established a "safety zone" for the training south of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge in an area where San Francisco, Marin and Contra Costa counties share jurisdiction, Currie said.

Currie said the training is the third in a series of three such exercises intended to test and improve local agencies' ability to respond to a security-related emergency on the Bay. Two ferries are being used in today's drill.

Some of the activity may be visible from the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and from certain spots in Marin, San Francisco, Contra Costa and Alameda counties, Currie said.

Multiple emergency response vehicles will be at the scene, and white smoke may be visible, she said.

About two-dozen agencies from throughout the Bay Area are participating, as well as the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department, Currie said.

The training will last throughout the day, ending around 5 p.m.

Participating Agencies:  

  1. Alameda County Sheriff, Alameda County
  2. Alcatraz Cruises, San Francisco
  3. Blue & Gold Fleet, San Francisco
  4. California National Guard, 95th Civil Support Team, Hayward
  5. Department of Homeland Security 
  6. Federal Bureau of Investigation, San Francisco
  7. Five Stars Yacht Charters, Sausalito 
  8. Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District 
  9. Hornblower Cruises and Events, San Francisco
  10. Larkspur Fire Department, Larkspur
  11. Marin County Sheriff’s Marine Unit, San Rafael
  12. Marin County Water Rescue Team, San Rafael
  13. Oakland Fire Department, Oakland
  14. Oakland Police Department, Oakland
  15. Red and White Fleet, San Francisco
  16. Richmond Police Department, Richmond
  17. Sacramento Sheriff’s Department, Sacramento
  18. San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority, San Francisco
  19. San Francisco Bay Ferry, Vallejo
  20. San Francisco Fire Department, San Francisco
  21. San Francisco Police Department, San Francisco
  22. Southern Marin Fire Protection District, Mill Valley & Sausalito
  23. Tiburon Fire Department, Tiburon
  24. United States Coast Guard, Sector San Francisco
  25. University of Berkeley Bomb Squad

Copyright © 2013 by Bay City News, Inc. – Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.


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