Thursday, September 25, 2014

Roosevelt Island Emergency Safety Concerns Due To RI Bridge Intermittent Closings During UN General Assembly Week Being Addressed - Dedicated Ambulance And Additional FDNY Equipment/Personnel Stationed On Roosevelt Island

Reported previously on emergency safety concerns expressed by Roosevelt Island residents caused by the annual intermittent Roosevelt Island Bridge traffic closings

Roosevelt Island Bridge Raised To Let Sailboat Pass During 2010 UN Week Causing Ambulance To Wait

 during the United Nations General Assembly Session.

 Image of United Nations Seen From Roosevelt Island via Wired New York

Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Public Safety Director Jack McManus reports on the following steps that have been taken to address these concerns. According to Mr. McManus:
  1. An ambulance has been stationed on Roosevelt Island during UN General Assembly Week and will not take calls for off Island service.
  2. The FDNY has pre-staged additional equipment and personnel at the Special Operations Station House on Roosevelt Island that will respond to Roosevelt Island fire calls when the RI Bridge is closed.
  3. RIOC is in consultation with NYC Office of Emergency Management to explore new protocols regarding residents safety concerns during future UN General Assembly Week sessions.

2 comments :

rilander said...

An ambulance stationed here but will not take calls for off island services, viz. a hospital emergency room? So the ambulance will hold the body of the person who dies because he/she could not get to a hospital because someone's yacht or a garbage barge had to go up the East channel?

And...."RIOC is in consultation with NYC Office of Emergency Management to explore new protocols..."? Why isn't the RIOC president in discussions with the Coast Guard, Homeland Security, our state and city officials, etc. about this?

CheshireKitty said...

@rilander: What I think this means is an ambulance/EMS is stationed on RI 24/7 while the UNGA is in session & W. Channel navigation restrictions are in place. Should an ambulance be delayed at the bridge, the once stationed on RI is dispatched to offer immediate assistance. Once the ambulance makes it to the location, it "takes over" the patient is transported in that ambulance to the ER etc. The RI-based ambulance then returns to its staging area (?Coler, ?FDNY Station House).


I'm glad to hear the above steps were taken by PSD to ensure timely emergency response on RI while the UNGA is in session.