CA Fire Department Gets New $1 million Fire Boat

Jul. 11--Firefighters in Southern Marin have expanded their water rescue and emergency response capabilities with the arrival of a new $1 million fire boat, officials said.

The 40-foot Liberty, which replaces the Southern Marin Fire District's former fire boat by the same name, will be in service this week. Firefighters have been training on the vessel since its arrival late last month.

"This by far is going to make our job so much easier with the improvements in technology, the whole design and all the features of this boat," said Capt. Matt Bouchard. "We're safer, faster and definitely more capable of fulfilling our mission."

The district received a $750,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help pay for the boat, which firefighters will use to assist in responding to emergencies throughout the Bay Area, Bouchard said.

On average, the district uses a fire boat when responding to roughly 90 service calls each year, according to Bouchard. Those include water rescues, boat fires, medical aid on the water and port security.

"It's a pretty busy piece of equipment," he said.

The new Liberty includes water tanks and hoses capable of spraying roughly 2,000 gallons of water per minute to help fight fires.

It also includes onboard scuba equipment, oxygen tanks, chemical detection equipment and infrared vision technology. The boat is large enough to handle rough seas, but can also maneuver well in tight spaces near shore, according to Bouchard.

The district's former fire boat was sold to the San Rafael Fire Department for $125,000. It will soon replace Confidence, a smaller boat that the department has used for the past two years to get its new water rescue and response program running, according to Battalion Chief Jason Hatfield.

San Rafael plans to sell Confidence to another firefighting agency. According to Hatfield, the district is in talks with the Berkeley Fire Department, which is interested in purchasing it.

The department will name its new craft the San Rafael. A renaming ceremony is planned.

"Everyone is really excited about it," Hatfield said.

The boats serve as important assets for Marin, said county fire Chief Jason Weber. With a robust houseboat community and several large marinas, the vessels are crucial in fighting fires and responding to emergencies along Marin's shoreline, he said.

Fire boats, he added, were key in fighting a fast-moving brush fire that broke out on Angel Island in 2008.

"We often forget here in Marin that we're one big peninsula, and that we're surrounded by water on three sides," he said. "These boats are extremely helpful."

Visit The Marin Independent Journal (Novato, Calif.) at www.marinij.com

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