Beginning Monday, September 18, 2023, through Thursday, September 21, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Golden Gate Ferry will host a full-scale, regional interagency emergency response exercise on the San Francisco Bay.
The exercise will take place within a safety zone south of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and just north and east of Treasure Island.
Portions of the exercise may be visible from the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge, and adjacent areas in Marin, San Francisco, Contra Costa, and Alameda counties. The public could see emergency response vessels in the exercise area as well as white smoke coming from the scene. Should you see smoke or emergency vessels on the bay, please note that this is a drill and not a real emergency.
The September 18 - 21 exercise has been designed to test the tactical and emergency response to security-related events involving commuter ferries and large passenger vessels that operate on the San Francisco Bay. The exercise provides real-world simulations for incident command and control, on-water mass victim rescue, hazard identification, site security and crowd control, and interoperable communications.
The exercise will take place on passenger ferries provided by Angel Island Ferry, Golden Gate Ferry, and the Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA). Fourteen other agencies will provide response and support vessels over the four-day training.
Detailed information about the exercise and daily activities can be found in the exercise briefing sheet.
Why This Training?
Interagency exercises strengthen public and private agency partnerships, which are invaluable in maintaining a highly effective safety and security posture on the San Francisco Bay. Additionally, training exercises play a vital role in advancing interagency emergency preparedness, coordination, familiarization, and response on the San Francisco Bay.
The training is being planned and coordinated by Golden Gate Ferry, in conjunction with the United States Coast Guard-Sector San Francisco, WETA, Blue and Gold Fleet, California Maritime Academy, San Francisco Fire Department, San Francisco Police Department, and other local law enforcement and fire department partners. The exercise will be attended by a number of responding agencies.
Participating public and private agencies include (in alphabetical order):
- 95th Civil Support Team
- Alameda County Fire Department
- Alcatraz Ferries
- Angel Island Ferry
- Bay Area Urban Area Security Initiative (BAUASI)
- Blue and Gold Cruises
- California Maritime Academy
- California Office of Emergency Services
- City of Alameda Fire Department
- Department of Energy RAP Team-7
- Golden Gate Ferries
- Hornblower Cruises
- Marin County Sheriff's Office
- Marine Ocean Terminal Concord Fire Department
- Northern California Regional Intelligence Center
- Oakland Fire Department
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- Oakland Police Department
- Pittsburg Police Department
- Port of San Francisco
- Red and White Cruises
- San Francisco Fire Department
- San Francisco Police Department
- San Rafael Fire Department
- Solano County Sheriff's Office
- Sonoma County Sheriff's Office
- Southern Marin Fire Department
- Tiburon Fire Department
- Transit Security Administration
- U.S. Coast Guard, Sector San Francisco
- U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary
- Water Emergency Transportation Agency (WETA)
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Media Contact:
Paolo Cosulich-Schwartz / Director of Public Affairs
Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District
pcosulich@goldengate.org / 415-629-9999 (text is best)