— from Washington State Ferries —
Life ring awards
Our staff and crew regularly provide emergency aid and assistance. The WSF Life Ring Award, the ferry system’s highest honor, is given to either individuals or an entire ship’s crew when the action by either was clearly the difference in saving a person’s life.
Today, I presented 19 employees with a Life Ring Award and recognized four full crews for their actions in 12 lifesaving events over the past 14 months.
I am so proud of each and every one of our employees that participated in these lifesaving events and the many more that regularly go above and beyond for the safety of our community. The dedication and quick call to action shown by these staff and crewmembers are a true example of public service. Thank you!
Service reductions on multiple routes continued
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak we’ve had to adjust our service to fit four key constraints: ridership, crew availability, vessel availability and funding. With more than 100 high-risk employees unavailable to work, one of those metrics, crewing, has been a challenge.
Due to this continued shortage of available crew, service on our Mukilteo/Clinton and Edmonds/Kingston routes will remain on one-boat weekend service until further notice. Ferry riders should prepare for long waits if driving onto a state ferry on the weekends and consider traveling during non-peak times and limiting non-essential travel.
We are actively working with our employees to increase staffing availability, and are pleased to report that we are training another new crew of deck employees who will be ready to join our ranks in early August!
We’ve implemented safety precautions throughout the ferry system including a mandatory mask policy.
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