By FDNY
NEW YORK — FDNY’s new fireboat, Firefighter II, arrived in New York Harbor on Nov. 13.
It is the newest addition to the FDNY Marine Division and will replace the Firefighter, which is assigned to Marine 9 on Staten Island.
The new fireboat is a 140-foot, 500-ton, $27 million dollar vessel, with a maximum speed of 18 knots and the capability of pumping 50,000 gallons of water per minute.
The boat was designed to detect and protect firefighters from chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear agents. It also contains a pressurized area that filters the air supply using special charcoal and high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters, allowing crew members to operate when needed in hostile environments. Decontamination and first aid can be handled aboard the ship as well by means of a decontamination shower area that leads to a triage and first-aid station.
It also features a forward ballast tank which lowers the boat in the water to match its deck with larger ferries that operate in the waters around New York City; a pilot house configured to allow the Captain a 360-degree view of an operation, which can assist with maneuvering the vessel in tight quarters; and a command and control area where the ship’s officers can monitor and direct fire operations with the aid of remote cameras and state-of-the-art communication equipment.
Firefighter II has the exact same design and features as the Three Forty Three, which arrived in New York in the summer of 2010. It is assigned to Marine 1 on the west side of Manhattan.
Firefighter II and her sister ship, the Three Forty Three, were paid for in large part by $54 million in grants from the Department of Homeland Security. Firefighter II’s original design is from naval architectural firm Robert Allan Ltd. of Vancouver, B.C. and it was constructed by Eastern Shipbuilding Group of Panama City, Fla.
The FDNY Marine Fleet is responsible for over 450 miles of coastline and harbors and has protected New York City residents for 134 years.
Republished with permission from FDNY.