Mass. Fire Department Unveils New Fire Boat
June 10--SANDWICH -- The Sandwich Fire Department took delivery last Wednesday of its new 37-foot fire boat, a Moose catamaran capable of putting out fires at sea, as well as search-and-rescue missions, Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Corriveau said.
Eight firefighters were at the Sandwich Marina docks this morning and received training from a representative of the California-based manufacturer.
Then the firefighters took the boat out for a test drive sending streams of water and foam skyward from the deck guns off the shore of Town Neck Beach.
The boat, paid for with a $900,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, will be located at a slip next to a Coast Guard boat.
Sandwich won the competitive grant, in part, because of the commercial traffic that uses the Cape Cod Canal, including large oil tankers, Corriveau said. The boat could also be used in the event of a fire at the electric plant or if there is a fire on one of the two bridges spanning the canal, he said.
The town originally received the grant in 2011, which paid for the boat as well as training for the fire department staff, and required no matching funds from local taxpayers, Corriveau said. Because the boat is custom made, the town had to wait in line for it to be built, he said.
Copyright 2013 - Cape Cod Times, Hyannis, Mass.
