Feb 26, 2008 9:02 pm US/Eastern
Safety Concerns Surround Callahan, Sumner Tunnels
Aging Tunnels Without Sprinkler Systems
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
There are big concerns for the safety of Boston drivers going through the Callahan and Sumner tunnels under the Boston Harbor.
The tunnels are not as safe as they could be, and the Turnpike Authority wants to make changes before it's too late.
Four months ago in California, three people were killed in a crash inside a highway tunnel.
Since then, fire officials in Boston start questioning whether the city's tunnels are safe.
"If what happened in California, it could happen here," said Boston Fire Chief Joe Fleming. "There is no guarantee under the current system that the outcome would be any different."
Fleming is talking about the aging Callahan and Sumner tunnels.
He says the Turnpike hasn't had a full scale drill in five years, despite a close call in 2002 when a bus carrying the Seattle Mariners caught on fire in one of the new tunnels.
The Turnpike's own consultants are turning their attention to the old tunnels, telling board members that safety systems are outdated.
"It was defined as something that is important," said Turnpike Board member Mary Connaughton. "It's a priority item to look at, and we should to make sure these tunnels are as are safe as they possibly can be. It is a high priority for the Turnpike right now."
While the Turnpike Authority says it has spent millions of dollars upgrading the ventilation systems in these old tunnels in recent years, their own consultant said, "If there was a serious fire in one of these tunnels, they are only prepared for 95 percent of the scenarios."
"Ninety-five percent of the fires that occur in your home don't kill you," Fleming said. "It's the 5 percent that might kill you that you have smoke detectors or sprinklers for. I have always felt uncomfortable with those types of risk analysis where the only reason it's safe is because you hope it doesn't happen."
The California tunnel fire has experts across the country rethinking tunnel safety, including the Turnpike Authority.
"I think people don't have to worry about going through the Sumner and Callahan tunnels, but as you heard this morning, there is always a new standard," a spokesman said.
In Australia, a tunnel fire last March killed one person but lives were saved by the sprinkler system. There are no sprinkler systems in any of the Boston tunnels.
The Turnpike says it's planning a full scale emergency drill in the Callahan and Sumner tunnels probably this summer.
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