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HomeMy WebLinkAbout032523 FW_ August bridge maintenance closure ________________________________ From: Peter Joseph Sent: Saturday, March 25, 2023 8:01:56 AM (UTC-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada) To: Bret Black Cc: William Dean; Willie Bence; Katie Dean; Heidi Eisenhour; Greg Brotherton; David McDearmid Subject: Re: August bridge maintenance closure ________________________________ ALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them. ________________________________ Chief, I believe your ship just came in, literally! While looking at your email I noticed out of the corner of my eye a commercial vessel mooring to the marina wave wall (pictures to follow). Since you have to meet certain requirements that you laid out in your reply, I began to think about why not transport the aid car rather than move the patient. The boat that arrived is owned by Global Diving & Salvage of Seattle and has a large ramp on the bow with room for an aid car on deck. I hustled down and spoke to the captain before they left for the weekend. They are here working on the Hood Canal bridge so he is very familiar with the area. After explaining what was needed he said the better boat would be the Jasper H , although 3’ shorter, it is an inspected vessel by the coast Guard, meaning it has met certain CFR requirements and has a licensed skipper. It is home-ported in Tacoma and should be available for leasing. He also told me there are boat ramps on either side of the bridge so in case there was sloppy weather they could transit along the lee side of the Bridge as well as offload on the lee side. That would be unusual for August but nice option to have in your back pocket. The transit would take about 10 minutes. I have the names of the people who can put us in touch with the Jasper H. Since I speak their lingo I will followup and establish a line of communications. There are other loose ends, but those are all doable and can wait until we determine if this is a viable solution. I am optimistic that could work. I am unable to synch my iPhone pictures to my desktop, so I will forward four pictures of the Prudhoe Bay later this morning. It is moored on the wave wall out past the fuel dock if you want to wander down and take a look at it. It will be there all weekend. The deck configuration of the Jasper H is slightly different. Peter On Mar 24, 2023, at 4:09 PM, Bret Black <bblack@ejfr.org> wrote: Much appreciated. Just FYI, DEM and partner agencies are working on solutions. There are a lot of great ideas happening. We have a workgroup that will develop the contingencies. With your specific proposal there are some issues to be ironed out. EJFR does not have the personnel to staff multiple boats that would be needed to across the pond to meet the demand. EJFR is only licensed to transport our patients in our ambulances or of partner 911 EMS agencies. Our ambulances are intended and stocked (and certified) to support a critical patient for the duration of transport. We have a lot of systems and technology in our ambulances that are not portable such as oxygen, electricity, extra supplies, etc. We would also need to solve where and how to transfer the patient, where would we take them, who would receive the patient, etc. The boat would need some sort or ramp for the gurney for the patient. No big steps, the gurneys are cumbersome. Ideally, we would need to find some sort of marine ambulance, that can accommodate a gurney….plus have an appropriately licensed EMS crew for the boat. All vehicles, vessels and aircraft that transport patients have to be licensed by the state for that purpose. This is why I cannot transport a patient in a fire engine, only ambulances. I am not aware of a marine ambulance in the region, but if you have a resource, please share…. Please feel free to suggest other alternatives and ideas. Thanks again, Bret Black - Fire Chief Cell 360-381-0292 bblack@ejfr.org <mailto:bblack@ejfr.org> <image002.png> From: Peter Joseph <jjadv@olympus.net <mailto:jjadv@olympus.net> > Sent: Friday, March 24, 2023 9:17 AM To: Bret Black <bblack@ejfr.org <mailto:bblack@ejfr.org> >; William Dean <cmdwbd@gmail.com <mailto:cmdwbd@gmail.com> > Cc: Willie Bence <wbence@co.jefferson.wa.us <mailto:wbence@co.jefferson.wa.us> >; Katie Dean <kateodeanell@gmail.com <mailto:kateodeanell@gmail.com> >; Heidi Eisenhour <heisenhour@co.jefferson.wa.us <mailto:heisenhour@co.jefferson.wa.us> >; Greg Brotherton <gbrotherton@co.jefferson.wa.us <mailto:gbrotherton@co.jefferson.wa.us> >; David McDearmid <dmcdearmid98365@gmail.com <mailto:dmcdearmid9836 5@gmail.com> >; Mike Glenn <mglenn@jeffersonhealthcare.org <mailto:mglenn@jeffersonhealthcare.org> > Subject: Re: August bridge maintenance closure Chief Black & Bill, Here is another option. Lease a vessel with suitable size, speed, and accommodations for the four weekends. The vessel would provide standardization, a licensed captain/s, and the luxury of being able to inspect the vessel ahead of time to insure it will be able to fulfill the needs of the EJFR. In order to get there, EFJR/Jefferson County should take the lead, vis-a-vis the State, by convening a focus group to brainstorm needs and wants, draft a set of specifications, investigate the boat leasing market, identify sources of funding, submit the plan to pertinent oversight authorities, and be ready to pre-train the boat/aid car interface as part of any contract. Peter Peter Joseph Capt, USCG (Ret) Master Mariner(Ret) Cell: 360-301-2086 6 Heron Road Port Ludlow, WA 98365 On Mar 21, 2023, at 3:08 PM, Bret Black <bblack@ejfr.org <mailto:bblack@ejfr.org> > wrote: Mr. Dean, I appreciate and share your concern. Please see the attached letter EJFR has sent to the WSDOT project management lead. Thank you, Bret Black - Fire Chief Cell 360-381-0292 bblack@ejfr.org <mailto:bblack@ejfr.org> <image003.png> From: William Dean <cmdwbd@gmail.com <mailto:cmdwbd@gmail.com> > Sent: Friday, March 17, 2023 9:38 AM To: Bret Black <bblack@ejfr.org <mailto:bblack@ejfr.org> > Cc: Willie Bence <wbence@co.jefferson.wa.us <mailto:wbence@co.jefferson.wa.us> >; Katie Dean <kateodeanell@gmail.com <mailto:kateodeanell@gmail.com> >; Heidi Eisenhour <heisenhour@co.jefferson.wa.u s <mailto:heisenhour@co.jefferson.wa.us> >; Greg Brotherton <gbrotherton@co.jefferson.wa.us <mailto:gbrotherton@co.jefferson.wa.us> >; David McDearmid <dmcdearmid98365@gmail.com <mailto:dmcdearmid983 65@gmail.com> >; Jeanne Joseph <jjadv@olympus.net <mailto:jjadv@olympus.net> >; Mike Glenn <mglenn@jeffersonhealthcare.org <mailto:mglenn@jeffersonhealthcare.org> > Subject: Fwd: August bridge maintenance closure Hello Chief Black, There has been a tremendous amount of energy expended trying to modify DOT's plans. To date, that does not seem to have accomplished very much. The attached assumes they go forward with their August plans and suggests some solutions to the emergency evacuation subject. This has a lot of moving parts, but it seems to me that you are the primary focal point when medical transport is needed after a 911 call. I guess the hospital is likewise faced with that need if a patient is in their care and requires transport to Seattle or elsewhere, and I would hope if you establish a coordinated effort for 911 emergencies, that you would include them in the process. Of course, we citizens are not aware of plans you are already working on and this may be mute or duplicative, but I thought it is worth passing along. If there is already planning being done to solve this problem, I would suggest it be shared with community groups to ease the agnst within the community. If there is anything that I can do to help, don't hesitate to reach out. Regards, Bill ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Peter Joseph <jjadv@olympus.net <mailto:jjadv@olympus.net> > Date: Thu, Mar 16, 2023 at 1:55 PM Subject: August bridge maintenance closure To: William Dean <cmdwbd@gmail.com <mailto:cmdwbd@gmail.com> > Cc: jeanne joseph <jjadv@olympus.net <mailto:jjadv@olympus.net> > Bill you seem to be the guy who is dialed in politically as well as in the emergency preparedness realm so I am going to bounce this off you. I have been reading about all the angst associated with the August weekend bridge closures vis-vis level 1 or 2 emergency room care. My initial thoughts are to use the Coast Guard Auxiliary flotillas located in Port Ludlow, Port Townsend, and possibly Sequim and Port Angeles. I am not sure if there are any regulatory obstacles that would preclude them from participating since they are called upon by the Coast Guard to assist with certain rescue cases. Some of their boats are designated as facilities which means their costs are reimbursed and have gone through a training process that makes them qualified for certain rescue endeavors. If this is not possible then I suggest the four yacht clubs step up and volunteer two boats for one weekend during August, i.e., each YC would take one weekend. There are large yacht clubs in all four ports mentioned above. Even though it is the height of the boating season, there are probably 250 qualified boats between the four YC's. The boats, of a certain size, would be located at Port Ludlow with a hand off in Port Gamble to either one of our own EJFD vehicles or a Kitsap mutual assist aid car. It is about 7 nautical miles to Port Gamble so it would be a 30-35 minute run for a vast majority of the boats, with those times being shorter for the faster boats. The volunteer boats could moor at the PLYC reciprocal moorage, shifting to the fuel dock for on-loads. The boats would only bring back people from the ER when they were delivering an outflow person. Otherwise they would have to have someone drive them around the Hood Canal to get back home. I am sure the boat owners would want a hold harmless agreement to limit their liability. If the yacht clubs don’t want to be the beneficiary of a lot of good will, then a simple request for volunteer boat owners should work. There are a lot of good samaritans in the boating community. I am sure there are many other little items that need to be addressed, but they are all doable. As I use to tell my attorneys, don’t tell me I can’t do it, tell me how I am going to do it. We have a lot of highly paid public servants out there who can pull this off without a lot of extra effort. Peter he coast Guard, meaning it has met certain CFR requirements and has a licensed skipper. It is home-ported in Tacoma and should be available for leasing. He also told me there are boat ramps on either side of the bridge so in case there was sloppy weather they could transit along the lee side of the Bridge as well as offload on the lee side. That would be unusual for August but nice option to have in your back pocket. The transit would take about 10 minutes. I have the names of the people who can put us in touch with the Jasper H. Since I speak their lingo I will followup and establish a line of communications. There are other loose ends, but those are all doable and can wait until we determine if this is a viable solution. I am optimistic that could work. I am unable to synch my iPhone pictures to my desktop, so I will forward four pictures of the Prudhoe Bay later this morning. It is moored on the wave wall out past the fuel dock if you want to wander down and take a look at it. It will be there all weekend. The deck configuration of the Jasper H is slightly different. Peter On Mar 24, 2023, at 4:09 PM, Bret Black <bblack@ejfr.org> wrote: Much appreciated. Just FYI, DEM and partner agencies are working on solutions. There are a lot of great ideas happening. We have a workgroup that will develop the contingencies. With your specific proposal there are some issues to be ironed out. EJFR does not have the personnel to staff multiple boats that would be needed to across the pond to meet the demand. EJFR is only licensed to transport our patients in our ambulances or of partner 911 EMS agencies. Our ambulances are intended and stocked (and certified) to support a critical patient for the duration of transport. We have a lot of systems and technology in our ambulances that are not portable such as oxygen, electricity, extra supplies, etc. We would also need to solve where and how to transfer the patient, where would we take them, who would receive the patient, etc. The boat would need some sort or ramp for the gurney for the patient. No big steps, the gurneys are cumbersome. Ideally, we would need to find some sort of marine ambulance, that can accommodate a gurney….plus have an appropriately licensed EMS crew for the boat. All vehicles, vessels and aircraft that transport patients have to be licensed by the state for that purpose. This is why I cannot transport a patient in a fire engine, only ambulances. I am not aware of a marine ambulance in the region, but if you have a resource, please share…. Please feel free to suggest other alternatives and ideas. Thanks again, Bret Black - Fire Chief Cell 360-381-0292 bblack@ejfr.org <mailto:bblack@ejfr.org> <image002.png> From: Peter Joseph <jjadv@olympus.net <mailto:jjadv@olympus.net> > Sent: Friday, March 24, 2023 9:17 AM To: Bret Black <bblack@ejfr.org <mailto:bblack@ejfr.org> >; William Dean <cmdwbd@gmail.com <mailto:cmdwbd@gmail.com> > Cc: Willie Bence <wbence@co.jefferson.wa.us <mailto:wbence@co.jefferson.wa.us> >; Katie Dean <kateodeanell@gmail.com <mailto:kateodeanell@gmail.com> >; Heidi Eisenhour <heisenhour@co.jefferson.wa.us <mailto:heisenhour@co.jefferson.wa.us> >; Greg Brotherton <gbrotherton@co.jefferson.wa.us <mailto:gbrotherton@co.jefferson.wa.us> >; David McDearmid <dmcdearmid98365@gmail.com <mailto:dmcdearmid9836 5@gmail.com> >; Mike Glenn <mglenn@jeffersonhealthcare.org <mailto:mglenn@jeffersonhealthcare.org> > Subject: Re: August bridge maintenance closure Chief Black & Bill, Here is another option. Lease a vessel with suitable size, speed, and accommodations for the four weekends. The vessel would provide standardization, a licensed captain/s, and the luxury of being able to inspect the vessel ahead of time to insure it will be able to fulfill the needs of the EJFR. In order to get there, EFJR/Jefferson County should take the lead, vis-a-vis the State, by convening a focus group to brainstorm needs and wants, draft a set of specifications, investigate the boat leasing market, identify sources of funding, submit the plan to pertinent oversight authorities, and be ready to pre-train the boat/aid car interface as part of any contract. Peter Peter Joseph Capt, USCG (Ret) Master Mariner(Ret) Cell: 360-301-2086 6 Heron Road Port Ludlow, WA 98365 On Mar 21, 2023, at 3:08 PM, Bret Black <bblack@ejfr.org <mailto:bblack@ejfr.org> > wrote: Mr. Dean, I appreciate and share your concern. Please see the attached letter EJFR has sent to the WSDOT project management lead. Thank you, Bret Black - Fire Chief Cell 360-381-0292 bblack@ejfr.org <mailto:bblack@ejfr.org> <image003.png> From: William Dean <cmdwbd@gmail.com <mailto:cmdwbd@gmail.com> > Sent: Friday, March 17, 2023 9:38 AM To: Bret Black <bblack@ejfr.org <mailto:bblack@ejfr.org> > Cc: Willie Bence <wbence@co.jefferson.wa.us <mailto:wbence@co.jefferson.wa.us> >; Katie Dean <kateodeanell@gmail.com <mailto:kateodeanell@gmail.com> >; Heidi Eisenhour <heisenhour@co.jefferson.wa.u s <mailto:heisenhour@co.jefferson.wa.us> >; Greg Brotherton <gbrotherton@co.jefferson.wa.us <mailto:gbrotherton@co.jefferson.wa.us> >; David McDearmid <dmcdearmid98365@gmail.com <mailto:dmcdearmid983 65@gmail.com> >; Jeanne Joseph <jjadv@olympus.net <mailto:jjadv@olympus.net> >; Mike Glenn <mglenn@jeffersonhealthcare.org <mailto:mglenn@jeffersonhealthcare.org> > Subject: Fwd: August bridge maintenance closure Hello Chief Black, There has been a tremendous amount of energy expended trying to modify DOT's plans. To date, that does not seem to have accomplished very much. The attached assumes they go forward with their August plans and suggests some solutions to the emergency evacuation subject. This has a lot of moving parts, but it seems to me that you are the primary focal point when medical transport is needed after a 911 call. I guess the hospital is likewise faced with that need if a patient is in their care and requires transport to Seattle or elsewhere, and I would hope if you establish a coordinated effort for 911 emergencies, that you would include them in the process. Of course, we citizens are not aware of plans you are already working on and this may be mute or duplicative, but I thought it is worth passing along. If there is already planning being done to solve this problem, I would suggest it be shared with community groups to ease the agnst within the community. If there is anything that I can do to help, don't hesitate to reach out. Regards, Bill ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Peter Joseph <jjadv@olympus.net <mailto:jjadv@olympus.net> > Date: Thu, Mar 16, 2023 at 1:55 PM Subject: August bridge maintenance closure To: William Dean <cmdwbd@gmail.com <mailto:cmdwbd@gmail.com> > Cc: jeanne joseph <jjadv@olympus.net <mailto:jjadv@olympus.net> > Bill you seem to be the guy who is dialed in politically as well as in the emergency preparedness realm so I am going to bounce this off you. I have been reading about all the angst associated with the August weekend bridge closures vis-vis level 1 or 2 emergency room care. My initial thoughts are to use the Coast Guard Auxiliary flotillas located in Port Ludlow, Port Townsend, and possibly Sequim and Port Angeles. I am not sure if there are any regulatory obstacles that would preclude them from participating since they are called upon by the Coast Guard to assist with certain rescue cases. Some of their boats are designated as facilities which means their costs are reimbursed and have gone through a training process that makes them qualified for certain rescue endeavors. If this is not possible then I suggest the four yacht clubs step up and volunteer two boats for one weekend during August, i.e., each YC would take one weekend. There are large yacht clubs in all four ports mentioned above. Even though it is the height of the boating season, there are probably 250 qualified boats between the four YC's. The boats, of a certain size, would be located at Port Ludlow with a hand off in Port Gamble to either one of our own EJFD vehicles or a Kitsap mutual assist aid car. It is about 7 nautical miles to Port Gamble so it would be a 30-35 minute run for a vast majority of the boats, with those times being shorter for the faster boats. The volunteer boats could moor at the PLYC reciprocal moorage, shifting to the fuel dock for on-loads. The boats would only bring back people from the ER when they were delivering an outflow person. Otherwise they would have to have someone drive them around the Hood Canal to get back home. I am sure the boat owners would want a hold harmless agreement to limit their liability. If the yacht clubs don’t want to be the beneficiary of a lot of good will, then a simple request for volunteer boat owners should work. There are a lot of good samaritans in the boating community. I am sure there are many other little items that need to be addressed, but they are all doable. As I use to tell my attorneys, don’t tell me I can’t do it, tell me how I am going to do it. We have a lot of highly paid public servants out there who can pull this off without a lot of extra effort. Peter