MetalCraft Marine Incorporated would like to congratulate FDNY on the completion of their new Firestorm 70. The newest member of New York’s Bravest will be christened William M. Feehan in late October.
FDNY has had a long history of serving the needs of their community dating back to 1648. It wasn't until 1865 that the modern-day Fire Department was first established. The professional force was needed to better provide protection to the fast-growing and increasingly complex metropolis. The first reference to the nomenclature F-D-N-Y was made in 1870.
This particular version of MCM’s 70 footer is scaled down slightly to fit the FDNY’s needs. The traditional FireStorm 70 is four feet wider, slightly longer and has a much larger cabin/tool room. MetalCraft Marine Incorporated is a fully integrated designer and manufacturer of custom high performance fire, rescue, patrol, research and other specialized work boats. MCM was established in 1987 and is a World leader in the design and manufacturing of aluminum high speed, high pumping craft. With over 630 hulls built to date, in service vessels include Boston, Port of Houston, Washington DC and Miami Fire Departments along with US Coast Guard, US Navy, Panama Canal Authority and many other Ports around the Globe.
The name of the new boat “William M. Feehan” holds special meaning to FDNY. Feehan passed away on the job that fateful morning terrorists flew hijacked jetliners into the twin towers on Sept. 11, 2001. At 71, he was the oldest of the 343 firefighters who perished.
Feehan was a blaze-battling legend in his own time, heralded for his intuitive knowledge and cunning in fighting fires. He was thought to have known the location of every fire hydrant in the Big Apple and remains the only FDNY member to have held every rank in the department, from probationary firefighter on up to fire commissioner. The name plate held high on along-side the cabin of their new fireboat is milled from an I-beam lifted from the rubble and ruin of the World Trade Centre 14 years ago.
"He was a fireman's fireman," Salvatore Pastore said over the phone from Brooklyn. Pastore is a lieutenant with Marine Company 6 as well as FDNY liaison with MCM for the new boat. "We'll never forget any of the firefighters we lost that day," noted 28-year veteran Pastore. "But this lets 'Chief' Feehan's family know that we're remembering him in a special way."
“Working with the FDNY team on the build of the William M. Feehan has been a tremendous honour for us at MetalCraft," commented Michael Allen, MetalCraft’s General Manager. "With the input of the FDNY personnel, we have implemented several new features on this fireboat. The FS70 is our flagship vessel, and the William M. Freehan is undoubtedly our most advanced one to date. We hope the FDNY and people they protect will benefit from this vessel for many years to come.”
“It has been a great pleasure working with the FDNY organization, there knowledge of both the Marine & Firefighting aspects combined, has made this vessel a one-of-a-kind machine," said Jay Milner – MetalCraft’s Project Manager. "I have thoroughly enjoyed every step of the process and have learned from them during the course of the build. Wishing them all the best and stay safe.”
Delivery was made via Lake Ontario to the Erie barge Canal, down the Hudson and out at NYC. The journey took approximately five days.
FDNY Marine Companies are the New York Fire Department's fireboats and are tasked with SCUBA/Dive Rescue and off-land firefighting in New York's rivers and harbors. The FDNY's three Marine Companies operate large fireboats and smaller, secondary rescue boats to respond to various marine-related emergencies.
Some of the key features of the new craft include an overall length of 66 feet and a width of 18 feet 3 inches; accommodations for four crew members inlcuding a pilot, an engineer and two firefighters; aluminum monohull; a maximum speed of 41 knots and a cruising speed of 32 knots; three Caterpillar C-18 engines producing 1,150 hp each; three HJ 403 Hamilton jet with hoods connected by Z-F transmission; a Kohler 20,000-watt generator; a C-9 Caterpillar 510-hp engine dedicated to the fire pumps; two Darley model ZSP 3,000 gpm at 150 psi that can dispense foam to one or both pumps; twin 500-gallon fuel tanks; 25-gallons of potable water; Stang fire monitor roof-mounted, remotely operated flowing 5,000-gpm at 80 psi; four Elkhart Brass Spit-Fire monitors, two electrically controlled on bow and two manually operated midship each flowing 2,000 gpm at 80 psi; 6-inch Stortz land supply connection; 300-pound of Purple K dry chemical fire suppression agent; Feecon 1.5 foam system; Furuno TZ Touch; nine radios; Simrad Sidescan sonar; pressurized filter system for on demand CBRN cabin; five Shox seats; raked forward windshield; two berths; refrigerator, microwave, head shower and lockable storage; two primary patient berths in V-berth; an additional patient berth in the main cabin; SCBA and SCUBA storage; hinged mast/radar arch; FLIR model Voyager III; two Carlisle & Finch spotlights; two 10-occupant Zodiac life rafts; a towing bitt; and a fast lube, oil change system.
