MID-HUDSON – The emergency call box on the Walkway Over the Hudson has been out of service for a year or more, according to several first responders who alerted Mid-Hudson News to the crisis. The call box, which is a speaker with a push button, is located on the Walkway near the elevator and is in place to help people who are contemplating suicide by jumping into the Hudson River.
The City of Poughkeepsie police and fire departments, along with several other agencies, have responded to multiple calls for service in the past six months to assist emotionally disturbed persons who are in crisis.
Emergency personnel have responded to calls to 911 from panicked family members or passersby on the Walkway to report a person considering suicide from the state park. Several heroic saves were made by first responders who rushed to the park and located the person in distress.
The Mid-Hudson Bridge, just a few hundred yards to the south, has call boxes installed across the span. When a person lifts the phone, they are connected to a Dutchess County crisis worker, who arranges for emergency personnel to respond while trying to calm the caller. The system has been very successful.
Dutchess County has been seeking to have the Walkway sign an agreement to allow the same crisis workers to answer Walkway calls, but the state parks have been unresponsive. The state parks did not respond to an inquiry from Mid-Hudson News, but State Senator Rob Rolison responded immediately. “This is the first I am hearing of the issue,” he told Mid-Hudson News this week, adding, “But I will seek answers to the crisis immediately.”
This week, the senator from Poughkeepsie sent a letter to the New York State Parks Regional Director to inquire about the inactive system. He also inspected the Walkway and was only able to locate the box near the elevator.
“The Walkway Over the Hudson is one of the Hudson Valley’s and New York State’s most visited attractions, welcoming hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors each year,” Rolison said. “These emergency phones are a critical public safety resource that individuals should be able to rely on in the event of a medical emergency, public safety incident, mental health crisis, or any other situation requiring immediate assistance.”
He further explained to the regional director that lives are at risk with the inactive system. “Unfortunately, the need for these resources is not theoretical. The City of Poughkeepsie Police Department has responded to numerous incidents on the Walkway over the past year, in which immediate intervention helped save lives. In situations like these, every second matters. Having accessible, functioning emergency call boxes could make the difference between life and death.”
Rolison has asked the park service for an update on why the system is inoperable and what steps are being taken to activate the call boxes. He also said, “I would appreciate learning what plans the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has moving forward to ensure the Walkway is adequately equipped with emergency communications infrastructure so that individuals in distress—or those needing to summon medical, law enforcement, or other emergency assistance—can do so quickly, regardless of where they are on the bridge,” while offering to help in moving the project forward.
“Ensuring that visitors and staff have access to dependable emergency communications should be a shared priority. I appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to working together to ensure the Walkway remains a safe destination for everyone. I stand ready to assist in any way I can, as the safety of all who visit and work at the Walkway is paramount,” Rolison wrote.
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