A fire-rescue boat will be back on the Edmonds waterfront thanks to a $200,000 Homeland Security grant obtained through the Federal Office of Domestic Preparedness.
The soonest the new, multi-mission vessel will be on the job is early in 2006, according to Edmonds Fire Chief Tom Tomberg.
The boat will be a joint operating venture of the Edmonds Fire and Police departments and the Port of Edmonds, where it will be berthed. Although owned and operated by the city, the vessel will be considered a Snohomish County asset available for dispatch to any water-side emergency, according to the Edmonds Fire Department.
It’s been quite a few years since the city has had a fire-rescue boat and that one wasn’t as seaworthy as it should have been, Mayor Gary Haakenson said. Port work boats have been pinch hitting as needed, according to public-safety officials.
Tomberg said his department is ready to advertise for bids on an aluminum V-hull vessel of landing-craft design in the 28-foot range with a 10-foot beam, 2,500-pound load capacity, and twin, gas-powered, 225-horsepower outboards able to reach speeds of 35 mph. The enclosed pilot house will be 8-to-10 feet long by 8 feet wide. The firefighting system will consist of a jet pump/drive with a diverter powered by a 5.7 liter, 320-horsepower and V-8 water-cooled engine capable of pumping 1,500 gallons of water per minute to multiple discharge valves.
Additional features will include a 200-gallon fuel tank, 60-inch bow door, winch, 36-inch dive door, 4-inch tow post, salvage pump, gurney lock-down configuration, a GPS system and interoperable communications.
The new boat will be equipped for use on these types of calls:
• Firefighting
• Emergency medical services
• Hazardous-material clean-up and containment
• Technical rescue from confined spaces, off machinery or as a result of an explosion
• Law-enforcement support, such as serving as a working platform for the county bomb squad and police dive team
• Water-side access to ferries and inaccessible portions of the county coastline, including railroad tracks
• Public assist
Public-safety crews will be trained to operated the vessel; no new personnel will be hired to staff it, according to Tomberg.
Annual maintenance costs will be approximately $2,500, according to the fire department. Grants to reduce those costs are under consideration.
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