The Everett Fire Department commissioned into service its first fire boat recently, named Marine-1, the department said in a Facebook post.
“There were many moving parts to making this project work and a lot of time effort by many people to see it through but it’s now a reality for not only us, but the citizens of our city and surrounding cities,” the department said.
Marine-1 is a 32-foot Defiant (2nd generation, NXT) fire boat constructed by Metal Shark Boats. The fire boat is equipped with firefighting, hazmat, and sonar capabilities. It will help ensure firefighters have all the tools they need for any type of sea emergency.
The fire boat features a CBRNE-rated (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive) wheelhouse/cabin, enabling it to operate safely in highly hazardous environments, Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria said in a Facebook post. It is equipped with air monitoring capabilities to detect hazardous materials in the air and a boom for containing hazardous substances on the water. Additionally, the boat possesses robust fire suppression capabilities, essential for managing vessel fires and other emergency calls for service.
The fire boat was funded via UASI Boston Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) program specific to the Boston metropolitan area. UASI is a grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It aims to enhance regional preparedness and capabilities in major metropolitan areas to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism and other major disasters.
