Ferries to the Rescue: When bridges and tunnels are disabled by emergencies, ferries become lifeboats

If the California Legislature approves the San Francisco Bay Area Water Transit Authority (WTA)’s recommendations and this plan is funded, 31 new boats will be added to the current fleet of ferries for a total of 44 ferry boats in the Bay and as many as eight new terminal locations. These additional boats and terminals will expand emergency access to nearly all Bay Area cities when other transportation systems are down. The WTA will coordinate updating the portion of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s Trans Response Plan, the emergency response plan that lays out the role for ferries and other small craft such as tugboats and fishing boats in the event of a disaster. This portion was last updated in 1996.

Coordination of the Bay Area’s maritime response plan has already begun: the WTA has hosted two organizing meetings to seek early input from ferry operators, Coast Guard, Office of Emergency Services, and others. In the plan that it delivered to the California Legislature in December 2002, the WTA has recommended that new ferries be more emergency-ready, equipped with such features as both side and front-loading for flexible boarding.

WTA board member Joe Freitas said, "Every new ferry boat that we put on the Bay is an emergency response asset for Bay Area residents. This was proven in New York with 911. I’ve strongly urged our agency to search for funds from new Federal Homeland Security grants and this advocacy will continue as part of the WTA’s long-term plan."

Lucien Canton, Director of San Francisco’s Office of Emergency Services (OES), has a plan to handle fires, floods, earthquakes, hazardous materials, terrorism, meteor strikes and even alien invasion. Housed in an understated facility on Turk Street, the OES is a cross between the Bat Cave and a military operation.

One visit to the OES is enough to prove its worth in the City’s budget, even during times of fiscal uncertainty. Starting with the communications equipment, the OES relies upon layers of backup contingencies. If the emergency phone system, wired with copper wires to all critical City offices fails, faxes, computers with Internet access and radio systems are all available. Should everything else fail, Mr. Canton has a plan to deploy bike messengers. Although not presently housed at the OES, courier pigeons can’t be far behind.

Although inter-departmental coordination is sometimes a challenge, Mr. Canton acknowledged the need for regional coordination, as well. Any disaster disabling the roads, bridges, and tunnels would affect access between San Francisco and other Bay Area cities.

Both the Contra Costa County and San Mateo County Offices of Emergency Services are supporting the WTA in seeking funding for ferries. In Contra Costa County, the WTA recommended that new terminals be sited in Richmond, Hercules, Martinez, and Antioch. If the Bay Bridge or BART system went down, ferry service to these areas would be essential. San Mateo County would have new terminals in South San Francisco and further south in Redwood City.

Lt. Steve Shively, San Mateo County’s Office of Emergency Services Area Coordinator said, "I’m excited about the plan to build two new ferry terminals in San Mateo County. You can never predict when emergencies will happen. We need to be prepared at all times and ferries will help us to be ready." With a new emphasis on bridge threats, his office has added terrorism to the list of potential disasters it covers.

Lt. Shively explained that moving emergency personnel, especially first responders, has become a challenge to his office since emergency personnel often can’t afford to live in the City in which they serve. "Having new ferries available to transport them across the Bay should the San Mateo and Dumbarton bridges be impassable will enormously boost our ability to quickly mobilize and deliver first-responder personnel," he said.

Marin County’s Director of Emergency Services, Supervisor Cynthia Murray, who sits on the WTA’s Community Advisory Committee, said, "On the morning of 911, the CHP informed the County of Marin, if necessary, they would evacuate San Francisco into Marin County. That would have required making the Golden Gate Bridge one way out of San Francisco and mobilizing all of the ferries to shuttle people out of the city. Ferries play a unique role in providing additional capacity if needed in an emergency."

The endpoint for all ferry routes is the San Francisco Port, which has undergone major revitalization over the past couple of decades and which connects to a greater number of landside transit lines than any other location in the Bay. If the WTA’s plan is fully implemented, the Port would have a need to expand its capacity just to accommodate daily ferry traffic, never mind accommodating an evacuation.

Nieret Mizushima, Chief Harbor Engineer for the Port of San Francisco, commented on the Port’s emergency preparedness measures put in place after the1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. She said, "The two new ferry terminals and access from the roadway were designed and constructed to remain fully operational in the event of a major earthquake. Each dock is equipped with generators for emergency lighting and equipment operation. And, we’ve widened ramps to substantially increase capacity for loading and unloading of passengers. Looking to the future, we hope to fund additional floats for simultaneous docking to allow not just for daily commuters but for a quick evacuation or for bringing in emergency personnel. Our goal is to also make the ferries further accessible to those with disabilities, medical gurneys, a wider variety of transit operators and emergency vehicles."