Waterfronts, where commercial, industrial, and recreational activities are established, are part of our critical infrastructure. They are facilities, systems, and networks essential to the health, safety, and economic well-being of the United States. These maritime interface areas are protected by the local emergency services agencies, the U.S. Coast Guard, and sometimes, industrial fire brigades.

This report addresses fire department preparedness for incidents in maritime areas and the importance of establishing a multiagency response capability that includes law enforcement, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), port authorities, the private sector, and emergency management agencies. Stakeholders in maritime emergency preparedness include Federal, State, and local governments as well as commercial private-sector entities and labor organizations.  In many communities, these stakeholders only recently have begun working together for disaster preparedness and emergency response planning.

Every year United States seaports handle over 2 billion tons of goods, and more than 95 percent of U.S. international trade moves by water.1 Losing a major port, even for a few weeks, can have a national economic impact.  In 2002, 29 ports along the west coast from Seattle, Washington, to San Diego, California, shut down as the result of an impasse between the 10,500 members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association, which represents shipping lines and port terminal operators.  The 10-day shutdown produced economic waves felt across the country.  At the time, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco estimated the cost of the port closings to be approximately $1 billion a day for the first 5 days and as much as $2 billion a day for each day thereafter.2  These figures clearly show the massive economic impact of even short-term port closures.