Long considered relics from days gone by, the Fire Department of New York Fireboats have played in an important role in supplying the fire fighting water to battle the blazes at the World Trade Center for the first 36 hours.
The
fireboats acting as floating pumping stations are manned by NYFD engineering members from the nation's oldest maritime union, the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association District 1. These firefighters are said to have been on a 24 hour on and 24 hour off schedule while supplying their NYFD brothers with much needed water from the Hudson River. It is said that those MEBA members and firemen were also involved in the search and rescue while off duty.