What was the delay in quieting stuck tugboat horn?

Published 1:30 am Sunday, July 2, 2017

How does it take four hours to turn off a boat horn, especially in the middle of the night? (“Tugboat horn blares for 4 hours,” The Herald, June 27) Port of Everett CEO Les Reardanz, let me give you some common-sense advice, which appears to be missing in this boondoggle. First, it is not to wait for some poor schmuck tech from Whidbey Island to come in the middle of the night to turn it off.

I’m sure there was security and some level of supervision at the port Sunday night. All they needed was the OK to proceed and quell the issue. As soon as the problem came up don’t be afraid to step up and take control of the situation. This was a disruptive problem affecting thousands of people in the area.

Three suggestions on how to handle this in the real world, using your staffing:

1. Simply remove the power or battery source to the horn.

2. If access is not available cut wiring to the horn.

3. Last resort, stuff a pillow into or around the horn. Wrap with a couple of garbage bags and rope to muffle until the tech arrives.

There is no reason that this should have gone on for that long. It did not make for a pleasant Sunday night.

Michael Barmuta

Everett