Resolve Fire and Salvage signed an agreement with Fire Department New York (FDNY) last week, allowing the vast resources of the FDNY to be included in Resolve’s network of first responders that are available to vessel owners and operators, under the OPA90 Salvage & Marine Firefighting (SMFF) requirements.
“FDNY has an excellent marine division that already responds first to marine incidents. This agreement simply formalizes FDNY’s role in the Vessel Response Plan (VRP), as a fellow marine firefighting responder, under the OPA90 SMFF regulations. That said, Resolve is very glad to have them onboard,” said Joe Farrell, President of Resolve Marine Group, Inc., the parent company of the salvage and marine firefighting subsidiary.
The OPA90 SMFF requirements in 33CFR155 Subchapter I specifically mandate the written consent of resource providers to be listed in the Vessel Response Plan. The USCG has interpreted this to also include public marine firefighting resources such as FDNY. The way the regulations are currently written, municipal and public firefighters can only be listed as responders to a marine event if they sign a consent agreement to be listed in the Vessel Response Plan. Even if local plans – like the USCG’s Area Contingency Plan – include an area’s fire departments, the USCG insists on the fire services’ written agreements in order to be listed as responders in the VRP.
“Having FDNY sign the consent agreement will go a long way toward encouraging other fire departments around the nation to sign, and that’s a very good thing. This aligns the vessel’s response, the local plans, Resolve as the Primary SMFF Provider, and the local fire service/s into a cohesive team that provides the best response for protecting people and the environment in the event of a ship casualty. Resolve is grateful for Chiefs Dalton and Buckheit’s leadership in getting this agreement executed,” said Jeff Johnson, Training and Response Manager of Resolve.
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