The New Jersey Regional Fireboat Task Force: A First of Its Kind

Today, firefighters increasingly join forces to mitigate emergencies. Barriers between departments seem to be shrinking, and cooperation is rising. The concept of a multi-agency “task force” is also becoming more common. In New Jersey, several types of interagency task forces currently exist, including New Jersey Task Force One (NJ-TF1) and Urban Area Security Initiative Metro Urban Search & Rescue Strike Team (UASI MUST).

In response to escalating maritime threats and call volume, New Jersey fire departments have organized together with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to form a new task force. The New Jersey Regional Fireboat Task Force (NJRFTF) is comprised of 12 fire departments: Edgewater, North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue, Hoboken, Jersey City, Bayonne, Newark, Secaucus, Kearny, Elizabeth, Carteret, Linden and Perth Amboy. The Fire Department of New York (FDNY) and New Jersey State Police (NJSP) also play an important collaborative role. According to the USCG, this is the first fireboat task force in the country, and has been very successful to date.

The Task Force’s goal is to establish interagency communication and cooperation across the Port of New York and New Jersey. NJRFTF protects over 50 miles of New Jersey shoreline. Critical infrastructure in the region includes transportation hubs, container terminals, marine oil transfer facilities, and chemical plants. Facilitating over $187 billion in annual trade, the Port of New York and New Jersey is vital to the economy of the United States. With over 20 million residents, the metro New York area is also one of the most densely-populated areas of the country. Across the Port, emergency calls are increasing as vessel traffic increases. Frank Fiumano, retired USCG Commander and current USCG Senior Port Security Specialist, has served as the principal planner and organizer behind this project.

The NJRFTF responds to all types of maritime emergencies. The most common responses are persons in the water, vessels in distress, fires, and hazards to navigation. With the region divided into eight zones, three fireboats typically respond to each emergency. If more resources are needed, vessels on scene can request additional fireboats from the Task Force. Frank Gorman, USCG Port Security Specialist (also a USCG Reserve Master Chief Petty Officer and 30-year volunteer firefighter), has compiled standard operating procedures. Departments use the Incident Command System and record responses through the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS).

Communications

The Task Force coordinates communication in a regional dispatch center located in North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue’s facilities. Dispatchers are trained in maritime geography, terminology, and response protocols. These dispatchers constantly monitor USCG distress frequencies and coordinate fireboat responses. All Task Force communications occur on a common VHF radio frequency.

Training

The Task Force ensures interoperability through common training practices. The most important of the training practices takes place at the New York Police Department (NYPD) boat simulator. Training in this facility is so realistic that members occasionally become sea sick, despite standing on dry ground. Inside the simulator, members train in Task Force-approved response procedures. Simulations mimic both common emergencies and complicated hypothetical threats. Keith Gonyou, retired captain from North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue, coordinates training across the Task Force.

Member departments also participate in USCG Search and Rescue training. This four-day classroom training places firefighters in working groups alongside members of the USCG and local law enforcement. The course teaches maritime distress calls, USCG procedures, search patterns, basic charting, and maritime Incident Command structure. This training takes place at USCG Sector New York facilities.

Comprehensive port familiarization training occurred in July 2017. Representatives from each fire department boarded a NJSP vessel together and toured the entire Task Force Area of Responsibility (AOR). Each department provided a brief description of their jurisdiction, including critical infrastructure, navigational hazards, and threats. After the training was completed, North Hudson Regional Fire and Rescue and the USCG compiled a Task Force guidebook that was distributed to each department. The guide has photos, maps, charts, lists of hazmat facilities, descriptions of each jurisdiction, and other pertinent data.

Other useful training has occurred within the Task Force. Last year, the NYPD hosted an eight-hour Port Awareness course with visiting instructors from the FDNY, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, USCG, Customs and Border Patrol, and New Jersey Homeland Security. Some Task Force members send boat operators to study Aids to Navigation, Rules of the Road and other topics in USCG-approved Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessels (OUPV) Merchant Mariner license classes. Also, some departments are sending firefighters to the FDNY ship-board firefighting simulator to don turnout gear, stretch hoselines and extinguish shipboard fires in a controlled environment.

Threats

Aside from the above-referenced emergencies, the Task Force also prepares for large-scale threats. Terrorism is a persistent concern, along with human error of ship operators, cyber-security of ship computers, and natural disasters. The Port has recently completed modifications to allow Super Ultra-Light Container Vessels (SULCVs) into Newark Bay. SULCVs are ships with a beam of 159 feet or more that typically carry at least 14,000 20-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers. The threat of potential emergencies involving SULCVs is tremendous and requires a coordinated multi-agency response. The Task Force is prepared to work in that capacity. Threats, including SULCV incidents, are discussed at NJRFTF meetings and at annual Area Maritime Security Committee (AMSC) Members-at-Large Committee meetings.

Funding

Resources and training for the NJRFTF are largely funded through a USCG Port Security Grant Program, which is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The USCG advises members about vulnerabilities in the Port and needs for its fireboats. In return, the member departments conduct cost/benefit analyses and commit to investments with maximum return for taxpayers. To date, FEMA is beginning to see a significant return on its investment. Run numbers are steadily increasing, communication and cooperation is improving, and vessels are successfully mitigating incidents in a timely manner. Port Security grant funds have also been utilized to hire the NJRFTF dispatchers and to build the previously mentioned NYPD boat simulator.

Results

The NJRFTF became fully operational in September 2017. Within minutes of the inaugural radio test, fireboats were called to a reported person in the water of the Hackensack River. Fireboats from Secaucus, Jersey City, Bayonne and North Hudson responded and conducted search patterns dictated by the USCG under unified command. Representatives from the USCG were quite impressed by the professionalism and capabilities of the Task Force. Since that time, NJRFTF vessels have successfully mitigated dozens of additional emergencies without incident.

The USCG has formally recognized ongoing successes in planning, preparation, and implementation of the Task Force. In September 2016, Captain of the Port Michael H. Day, commander of USCG Sector New York, awarded each Task Force fire department a meritorious team commendation. Additionally, the USCG awarded the title of “Outstanding AMSC of 2016” to the Port of New York/New Jersey, partly due to cooperative efforts involving the NJRFTF. The AMSC of New York/New Jersey is the first two-time recipient of this distinction.

In sum

The NJRFTF has been wildly successful in paving the road for regionalized fireboat response and incident mitigation. The USCG is even planning to establish additional task forces in other parts of the country. In the post-9/11 environment, barriers between emergency response agencies are diminishing. Fire departments readily cooperate with each other and with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Furthermore, cities and towns maximize their taxpayer investments by relying on each other for coordinated response.

Acknowledgement: Special thanks to Frank Gorman of USCG for his assistance in confirming and editing the information contained herein, and for his ongoing dedicated service to the Port of New York and New Jersey.

Brian Crimmins is provisional chief of the Hoboken, NJ, Fire Department. He has a bachelor’s degree from Boston College, a master of public administration degree from John Jay College in New York, and a USCG master captain license.