Author’s note: The catastrophic failure of the heavily traveled I-35 West bridge in Minneapolis on August 1 once again highlighted the importance of a robust multitiered, multihazard emergency response; highly adaptable emergency plans; and a thorough understanding of collapse search and rescue protocols by firefighters and other responders.
The I-35W collapse response was complicated by deadly water hazards that challenged responding firefighters. The I-35W bridge was loaded with cars, trucks, and at least one school bus that plunged into the Mississippi River. The combination collapse and water rescue operation challenged first responders and ultimately required specialized rescuers and equipment from local, regional, state, and federal agencies working within a unified command for many days. The disaster also highlighted the importance of having in place an effective system for using off-shift personnel to quickly augment on-duty resources.
The consensus is that the overall response to this collapse was very effective in terms of deploying local resources to save lives; bringing to the scene the best available specialized help from around the region, state, and nation in a timely manner; and ensuring the best possible degree of rescuer safety under extremely dangerous and unusual conditions. This multipronged response, which involved all levels of government working in tandem under unified command, is an example of the new paradigm of disaster response in the United States. Today, the public has (rightly) come to expect integrated and multilayered response in times of disaster, and the Minneapolis fire and police departments delivered it on August 1.
If you are a current subscriber,login hereto access this content.
If you would like to become a subscriber, please visit ushere.
