Port Newark fire raises questions about fire suppression training at shipping ports
PORT NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) -- An investigation into the deadly fire on a docked ship at Port Newark has raised questions about the decision to send firefighters into a scenario they weren't trained for.
While the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) maintains fire rescue capability at its airports, and drills regularly on aircraft rescues and plane crashes, there are no federal requirements for fire suppression training at shipping ports, according to a Port Authority source.
Now, that's become a major focus of the investigation following the deaths of two Newark firefighters.
Questions were raised about the Port Authority's ability to handle such incidents on their own property.
"They're the ones who present the hazards, they're the ones who bring the ships in and expect the local fire departments to deal with them," fire safety expert Glenn Corbett said.
The Port Authority has a small firefighting operation that depends on the municipalities like Newark, Elizabeth and the FDNY for large incidents such as the fire on a huge cargo ship. But, in most cases they have not been trained on how to battle such a blaze.
"None of these firefighters have probably ever seen this ship, let alone been on one, and then be expected to try and deal with this fire basically and all these unknowns," Corbett said.
Newark has the nation's second largest port operation. The largest port is in Long Beach, California where the fire department there, along with the Los Angeles Fire Department, conducted training exercises with the coast guard on cargo ships.
Eyewitness News reporter Anthony Johnson asked the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey if they offer the same training and have not gotten a response.
RELATED | Investigation underway into what sparked deadly cargo ship fire in Port Newark
A grieving mayor of Newark says that has got to change.
"That's a long conversation we're gonna have from now until we get some real resolution to what needs to be done as we move forward," Newark Mayor Ras Baraka said.
Cargo ships are made of steel and that causes a fire to get much hotter than a typical building fire where there are windows and ventilation. Cargo ship fires may not happen often, but now Port Authority is being called into question.
"I think it points out the lack of attention that they've paid to this situation," Corbett said.
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