Transportation Incident: Passenger

Description:

Aviation Accident: An accident involving a multi-passenger (twenty or more) or cargo aircraft or a small private plane, resulting in injuries, loss of life, and destruction of private business and industrial property when it impacts. Includes areas within the flight paths of airports.

Highway Accident: An unforeseen event involving a rapid-transit, multi-passenger vehicle or a large supply truck which results in severe injuries, fatalities, and damage.

Marine Accident: An accident involving a multi-passenger vessel, either public or private, resulting in injuries, loss of life, and destruction of property and requiring response and rescue by boat.

Railroad Accident: An accident or derailment involving multiple railroad cars which causes abnormal interaction with the general public by blocking roads and/or causing property damage.

Secondary Effects:

The immediate need for emergency medical care, traffic control, possible fire control and coordination of efforts makes this type of situation an extremely sensitive one. The identification of resources and their effective application is very important.

Vulnerability:

There are about fifty commercial airports in Maine, the largest of which is the Bangor International Airport. The Portland Jetport serves several major airlines and thousands of travelers annually. Smaller airports, while licensed as commercial airports, do not have the lighting and direction and control capabilities the largest ones have.

Maine has some 22,000 miles of highway including 100 miles of the Maine Turnpike and another 295 miles of controlled access interstate highway. Multi-passenger vehicles utilize nearly all of this highway for the transportation of school children and commercial carrier patrons. Passenger rail service is currently limited to a single east-west line of the Canadian Pacific Railroad.

Public or private ferry transportation is provided between the mainland and the major islands off the Maine coast. International ferry services are offered from Bar Harbor and Portland to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. In addition to these, inland and coastal waters are plied with privately operated excursion boats, as well as private pleasure craft.

While some regulation is effected through required licensing of operators and inspection of vehicles, the ultimate safety of passengers depends on operator capability and external influences.

Mitigation:

Continue to develop emergency operations plans to respond to transportation accidents. These plans should be reviewed and exercised periodically to ensure their effectiveness.

Continue strong enforcement of safety regulations and safe operating procedures.

Response may include the State Police, Department of Transportation, Department of Marine Resources, Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, and appropriate federal or local agencies.

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Transportation Incident: Passenger

Description:

Secondary Effects:

Vulnerability:

Mitigation:

MAINE HAZARDS