New Ohio River Fireboat: Huntington Seeks Federal Grant

Council has approved a resolution that may lead to the Huntington Fire Department obtaining a marine firefighting & hazardous material vessel through a Port Security grant.

Huntington has the nation’s largest inland port. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, ports were identified by the Department of Homeland Security as vulnerable to attack, and the federal Port Security Grant Program has been one of the main tools for securing ports, reports 'Huntington News'.

Fire Chief Carl Eastham previously explained that about 30% of the cargo floating on the Ohio River has a hazardous classification.The proposed 35-foot marine vessel for the HFD would not only fight fires on the river and perform rescue, it will mitigate damage in the event of a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or explosive (CBRNE) incident.

The council's resolution approved grant permission for the department to apply for the grant for which the city must compete on a national level.

Source: Huntington News