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A fireboat is a specialized watercraft, often resembling a tugboat, with pumps and nozzles designed for fighting shoreline and shipboard fires. They are particularly useful for fighting fires on docks and shore side warehouses as they can directly attack fires in the supporting underpinnings of these structures. They also have an unlimited supply of water available, pumping directly from below the hull and can be used to assist shore based firefighters when other water is in low supply or is unavailable, for example, due to earthquake breakage of water mains, as happened in San Francisco due to the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.
Modern fireboats are capable of pumping tens of thousands of gallons of water per minute. The most technologically advanced of these is Fire Boat #2 of the Los Angeles Fire Department, the Warner Lawrence, with the capability to pump up to 38,000 US gallons per minute (2 m³/s) and up to 400 feet (120 m) in the air.
Fireboats are most usually seen by the public when welcoming a fleet or historical ships with a display of their water moving capabilities, throwing large arcs of water in every direction.
Occasionally fireboats are used to carry firefighters, Emergency Medical Technicians, and a physician with their equipment to islands and other boats. Also hydrocopters, rigid-hulled inflatable boats, and even hovercrafts and helicopters are used in fire, rescue and medical emergency situations. They may also carry divers or surface water rescue workers. Passengers from ships in danger can be also transferred to various kind of rescue boats. Rescue boats may be used also for oil and chemical destruction on rivers, lakes and seas.
Gallery of fireboats
- Recently refurbished, the fireboat Phoenix has seen long service for the San Francisco Fire Department.
- City of Toronto fireboat "William Lyon Mackenzie".
- Fireboat in Venice, Italy.
- Fireboat in Venice, Italy rushing to action. Photo: Kenya Allmond
- Portland, Oregon Fireboat, David Campbell. Built in 1927
- Bayport Fire Department Fire Boat.
- A very specialized vehicle, hydrocopter used as a rescue boat in Kuopio, Finland. (Click the picture for more information)
- A London Fire Brigade fireboat berthed at LFB Headquarters, London
- A fire/oil destruction boat "Albert Krank" in Varkaus, Finland. (Click the picture for more information)
List of modern fire boats
Asia
Hong Kong
- Fireboat 1 (Elite)
- Fireboat 2
- Fireboat 3
- Fireboat 4
- Fireboat 5
- Fireboat 6 (Excellence)
- Fireboat 7
- Fireboat 8
- Command Boat (CB1 and CB2)
- Diving Support Vessel (D1)
- Diving Support Speed Boat (DV2 and DV3)
- Speed Boat (SB1-6)
- Sir Alexander Grantham - retired
Europe
Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Jan van der Heide
Zaandam, Netherlands
- Blusboot De Weer
Rotterdam, Netherlands
- RPA 2
- RPA 10
- RPA 11
- RPA 12
- RPA 13
- RPA 14
- RPA 15
- RPA 16
Oslo, Norway
- Erling Hagen #72
North America
Victoria, British Columbia
- Rocket
Langford, British Columbia
- #714
Toronto, Ontario
Perth Amboy, New Jersey
- Fire Marine 5
Bayport, New York
- Bayport Fire Department 3-14-26 Rescue boat
Buffalo, New York
New York, New York
- Firefighter
- Governor Alfred E. Smith
- John D. McKean
- Kevin C. Kane
- John J. Harvey
Los Angeles, California
San Francisco, California
- Phoenix
- Guardian
Seattle, Washington
- Chief Seattle
- Leschi
Portland, Oregon
- David Campbell
Historic Fireboats
- Duwamish (fireboat)
- Fireboat No. 1 (Tacoma, Wash.)
- Pyronaut, moored at Bristol Harbour Railway and Industrial Museum
References
- For example, the Helsinki Rescue Department in Helsinki, Finland has various kinds of boats for various kind of firefighting, rescue, and oil destruction tasks. http://www.hel.fi/pel.
See also
External links
- Los Angeles Fire Department Fireboats
- Former NYFD Fireboat John J. Harvey
- Exciting stories from the San Francisco Fire Museum: San Francisco Fire Department Fireboat Phoenix fights Marina District fire after the Loma Prieta earthquake; fireboat Guardian brought to San Francisco from Vancouver through a storm.
- Puget Sound Fireboat Foundation, Seattle's Historic Fireboat Duwamish
- MetalCraft Marine Fireboats - Photos and videos
- Model Fire Boats Website
- Voluntaire Marine firefighters Kring 6 Blusboot de Weer