Massive WSP training event planned at Mukilteo ferry dock

Heads up, Mukilteo. You are going to see a large Washington State Patrol (WSP) presence at the ferry dock on Friday. But don’t be alarmed, it’s just training.

WSP is taking advantage of the final day of construction on the wing wall at the Mukilteo dock for a large-scale training session.

“It’s a good opportunity during these planned closures and maintenance times to do these types of familiarization training with our personnel so that the first time that they’re on one of the vessels or in one of the terminals is not during a critical incident, potentially,” WSP Trooper Kevin Fortino said.

Why the WSP training matters

There is a dedicated unit in the State Patrol and Homeland Security that is responsible for the ferries and the terminals. This training is for those who would be called in during an actual emergency.

“The training itself is just to get as many people as we can through the terminal and onto the vessels and have them see the sights and smell the smells and understand what doors lead to where and what it feels like out on the water,” Trooper Fortino said.

The training is vital to ensure emergencies are handled well.

“We are always working to be as prepared as we can for any kind of high-profile incident or natural disaster or something where we might need to bring folks in that aren’t normally working on the system,” Trooper Fortino said.

People in Mukilteo should expect to see a lot of emergency vehicles at the dock, including some specialty rigs, and the State Patrol wants the public to know it’s only training.

“Just to make sure people aren’t alarmed at that presence, and assume that there is an incident occurring.”

The training is scheduled between 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Friday. It should not impede ferry operations at all.

Chris Sullivan is a traffic reporter for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here. Follow KIRO Newsradio traffic on X.

Follow @https://twitter.com/newsguysully