By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
- • A U.S. Coast Guard investigation found that tracking devices carried by Newark firefighters were not used during a 2023 cargo ship fire that killed two firefighters.
- • The devices, known as Pak‑Trackers, were intended to help locate trapped or missing firefighters inside the smoke‑filled vessel.
- • Investigators said Newark Fire Department had portable receivers available but they were never brought aboard the ship.
- • The investigation was part of a broader review of response shortcomings during the fire aboard the Grande Costa D’Avorio in Port Newark.
NEWARK, NJ — A U.S. Coast Guard investigation found that electronic tracking devices carried by Newark firefighters were not deployed during the 2023 cargo ship fire that left two firefighters dead, according to the agency’s report released this week.
U.S. Coast Guard/NIOSH
The system, known as Pak‑Tracker, consists of a transmitter integrated into a self‑contained breathing apparatus and a portable receiver designed to help rescuers home in on the signal from missing personnel.
Documents and testimony before Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board investigators show that the Newark Fire Department had three handheld receivers but did not take them aboard the Italian‑flagged Grande Costa D’Avorio while searching for the missing firefighters amid dense smoke and darkness.
The report said it is unknown whether use of the tracking system would have changed the outcome, noting that radio communications were hindered by the vessel’s steel structure and the search environment.
The findings were part of a broader inquiry into operational issues during the July 5, 2023, blaze at Port Newark, which also examined training, equipment use, and shipboard firefighting familiarity. Newark city officials said the department has since acquired additional tracking receivers and implemented training improvements for maritime incidents.