The Gateway Development Commission Board of Commissioners has today agreed to establish and maintain a tunnel rescue team for the Hudson Tunnel Project.
GDC will provide funding to fire departments in the communities where tunnel boring will take place to support training to prepare emergency responders for the unique aspects of tunnel rescue operations, as well as regular ongoing drills. The investment will ensure the departments are prepared to respond in the unlikely event of a tunnel-related emergency while maintaining sufficient capacity to address simultaneous emergencies elsewhere in the communities they serve.
The Commissioners also confirmed Jeff Bernstein to serve as GDC’s Chief Financial Officer. Bernstein joins GDC from Deloitte, where he advises clients in the transportation and infrastructure space. He previously held leadership roles at NJ Transit and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
In a news release, GDC officials said that building tunnels using tunnel-boring machines is safe for workers and communities above the tunnel’s route. The tunnel boring machines being used for the Hudson Tunnel Project each have more than 1,000 sensors, including air quality monitors. They are also equipped with refuge chambers containing oxygen, food, and a communications system, in which workers can safely wait for rescue.
Today’s action authorized GDC’s CEO to enter into intergovernmental agreements with North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue and the Northern Region Urban Area Security Initiative Metro Urban Search and Rescue Strike Team’s member fire departments, as well as a memorandum of understanding with UASI MUSAR, to support preparations for the unlikely event of an emergency during tunnel boring.
Sixty to 80 NHRFR firefighters will receive tunnel rescue training, and up to 60 additional first responders from other UASI MUSAR member fire departments will also receive tunnel rescue training to be available as backup to the NHRFR team during an incident, if needed. Tunnels are unique, highly constrained environments, and tunnel rescue operations often require specialized equipment, such as rebreather apparatus that allows closed-circuit breathing. Specialized training and regular drills are necessary to maintain mastery of these particular techniques and equipment.
Spec Rescue International and the National Tunnel Institute will lead the training. Training will take place at The Bunker, a specialized technical rescue training facility in Hudson County. A model of a section of the tunnel will be installed at the training facility so that teams can practice in conditions that match what they would face in a real emergency.
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