There are no federal requirements for fire suppression training at shipping ports, and 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,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.
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