The East River Helicopter Tragedy - The staging area for the rescue and recovery was below the 34th Street Pier, over 50 blocks away from the scene of this terrible accident. This highlights that: 1) the proposed Pier 90 location for the NYCFerry landing may not be emergency vehicle accessible; and 2) in addition to a ferry terminal and hub, the MTS should also be considered for an FDNY Fireboat pier and/or an NYPD Harbor Command pier.
The MTS could also be an optimal location for a new NYPD Harbor Unit and/or Command Center.
The NYPD Harbor Unit is currently located on Randall’s Island just below the Triboro/RFK Bridge which is 2 miles up the Harlem River from the MTS location. As with the FDNY Marine Units, NYPD vessels are docked in the open which in bad weather must also add to the challenges faced by New York’s Finest.
A re-purposing of the facility could also include a new state-of-the art NYPD Harbor Command Center would provide the NYPD with modern weather protected facility including piers and quarters, AS WELL AS shorter critical response times to emergencies along the East River and parts of the Long Island Sound covering Queens, Manhattan, Roosevelt Island, the Bronx and Brooklyn while also continuing to cover the Bronx along the Harlem River.
Because of the ramp access, there would be easy access to for the NYPD to reach the facility from York Avenue as well.
As noted earlier, given the size of the facility it may be possible to accommodate one or more of these three proposed uses and so a combination of them may be worth considering.
Sources:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/home/home.shtml
http://www.n2nov.net/nypd_locations.html Google Earth
The MTS could also be an optimal location for a new NYPD Harbor Unit and/or Command Center.
The NYPD Harbor Unit is currently located on Randall’s Island just below the Triboro/RFK Bridge which is 2 miles up the Harlem River from the MTS location. As with the FDNY Marine Units, NYPD vessels are docked in the open which in bad weather must also add to the challenges faced by New York’s Finest.
A re-purposing of the facility could also include a new state-of-the art NYPD Harbor Command Center would provide the NYPD with modern weather protected facility including piers and quarters, AS WELL AS shorter critical response times to emergencies along the East River and parts of the Long Island Sound covering Queens, Manhattan, Roosevelt Island, the Bronx and Brooklyn while also continuing to cover the Bronx along the Harlem River.
Because of the ramp access, there would be easy access to for the NYPD to reach the facility from York Avenue as well.
As noted earlier, given the size of the facility it may be possible to accommodate one or more of these three proposed uses and so a combination of them may be worth considering.
Sources:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/home/home.shtml
http://www.n2nov.net/nypd_locations.html Google Earth
