Michigan Ag Connection - Mackinac Bridge Authority to Conduct Rescue Training

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Mackinac Bridge Authority to Conduct Rescue Training
Michigan Ag Connection - 04/18/2017

In preparation for the bridge's north tower painting project, the Mackinac Bridge Authority (MBA) will conduct confined-space rescue training with local emergency services agencies on Wednesday, April 19.

From 6-9 p.m., MBA staff will work with local fire departments, emergency medical services (EMS), and painting contractor Seaway Painting to prepare for the possibility that workers might need to be rescued from within the tower as it is being painted. The training will involve rescue vehicles with activated emergency lights and personnel out on the bridge.

"There are approximately 2,500 individual 'cells' within each tower, the elevator is tiny, and the passages are all very tight," said MBA Executive Secretary Bob Sweeney. "Making sure the contractor and emergency services personnel are familiar with the tower interior is critical for them in planning for any unforeseen incidents."

During the training, the bridge will have single-lane closures with traffic shifts.

Seaway Painting just started a $6.3 million project to completely strip the old paint from the bridge's north tower and repaint it with a lead-free zinc-based paint. Work started April 6, and is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2018.

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