Response Time for Water Rescues to be reduced by 80%
SAN FRANCISCO, 2012-08-09 — /travelprnews.com/ — Mayor Edwin M. Lee joined San Francisco International Airport Director John L. Martin and San Francisco Fire Department Chief Joanne Hayes-White and formally opened the Airport’s new Marine Emergency Response Facility (MERF). The new facility, the first of its kind at a U.S. airport on the west coast, is located bayside on the north side of the Airport and adjacent to the U.S. Coast Guard’s Air Station San Francisco and will house a variety of water rescue response craft including a 44-foot Moose boat, 27-foot Boston whaler, an 18-foot Zodiac, and a pair of jet skis.
“With the opening of this new rescue facility, San Francisco International Airport is not only investing in the future of the Airport, but it is investing in San Francisco’s overall emergency preparedness and the safety and security of everyone who travels in and out of SFO,” said Mayor Lee. “This continued commitment to provide unparalleled safety and security has long been a hallmark of San Francisco International Airport and reflects the City’s goal to be ready to respond in the event of any emergency.”
“The addition of the Marine Emergency Response Facility reduces the Airport’s response time to a water rescue incident from about 25 minutes to less than five minutes,” said Airport Director John L. Martin. “In addition to dramatically improving our response time, by housing the rescue craft in a covered boathouse will reduce maintenance costs for the craft and lengthen their operational lifespan.”
In addition to providing an operational facility for the launching and storage of marine rescue vehicles and patrol craft, the Marine Emergency Response Facility also provides a command center for the immediate launching and recovery of vessels responding to emergency situations and incidents on San Francisco Bay near the Airport.
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(650) 821-4000
Michael.McCarron@flysfo.com
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