United States Coast Guard Sector San Francisco personnel hosted an interagency preparedness exercise at Yerba Buena Island on Saturday, April 24, with around 100 participants from 16 agencies, including Oakland International Airport, San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA), Alameda County Fire and Members of the Bay Area Search and Rescue Council.
Photo by Gino Caputi
BC STAFF REPORT
Published: May, 2018
United States Coast Guard Sector San Francisco personnel hosted an interagency preparedness exercise at Yerba Buena Island on Saturday, April 24, with around 100 participants from 16 agencies, including Oakland International Airport, San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA), Alameda County Fire and Members of the Bay Area Search and Rescue Council.
The exercise focused on response techniques for a large-scale water rescue event in the near-shore, shallow waters of the San Francisco Bay and validated tactical interoperability and common response plans for local government, WETA and Coast Guard resources as identified in the Vessel Mutual Assistance Plan (VMAP).
“Any major incident on the San Francisco Bay is going to require multiple agencies to work together,” said Captain Tony Ceraolo, the Sector San Francisco commander. “During the Miracle on the Hudson, the Coast Guard worked with local first responders and the ferry system to rescue more than 150 people. This exercise is a great example of Bay Area first responders and maritime industry leaders coordinating our resources and capabilities to protect the people in the Bay Area during a similar situation.”
The San Francisco Bay VMAP is a contingency plan that describes actions to be taken by the U.S. Coast Guard, San Francisco Marine Exchange, ferryboat operators and local agencies for evacuating passengers during a mass rescue operation. This plan recognizes that such efforts would potentially challenge the capacity of a normal Coast Guard response and would require the assistance of nearby underway ferryboats. The VMAP is used not only in the instance of a ferryboat in distress, but in the event of any major airline casualty near the water.
“Safety is the first priority at any airport,” said Bryant L. Francis, the Port of Oakland’s director of aviation for Oakland International Airport. “Coordinating and preparing for responses in conjunction with our regional partners is a critical element in keeping our customers and neighbors safe.”
After the exercise, all participating agencies conducted a joint evaluation to assess the effectiveness of tactics, techniques and procedures. Partners specifically focused on the measures required to move victims quickly from shallow-draft, surface-rescue assets to high freeboard ferries, while simultaneously engaging and coordinating with shore-side incident commanders.
“This exercise is a great example of multiple organizations working together to protect the public in the event of a water emergency,” said Nina Rannells, WETA’s executive director. “WETA appreciates the cooperation and partnership among all of the agencies involved with VMAP.”
Oakland Fire Department, San Francisco Police Department, City of Alameda Fire Department, South San Francisco Fire Department, Richmond Fire Department, City of Berkeley Fire Department, and Vessel Assist also participated in the exercise. Five Bay Area ferry operators participated and observed the exercise as well, including Golden Gate Ferry, Red & White Fleet, Hornblower, Alcatraz Cruises and Angel Island Tiburon Ferry.
