Firefighter News

Electric vehicles are crisscrossing the globe to reach their eager buyers, but the battery technology involved in the zero- emission automobiles is exposing under-prepared maritime shippers to the risk of hard-to-control fires, industry, insurance, and emergency response officials said.That risk has been put under the spotlight by the burning car carrier [Freemantle Highway] drifting off the Dutch coast. The Dutch coastguard said the fire's cause was unknown, but Dutch broadcaster…

A new fireboat built by the Remontowa Shipbuilding SA shipyard in Gdańsk for Poland's Szczecin and Świnoujście Seaports Authority SA has been delivered in Szczecin.The new firefighting vessel Firefighter-28 left the Remontowa Shipbuilding SA shipyard in Gdańsk on November 13 and arrived at the port of Świnoujście the next day in the evening. On November 18, the delivery and acceptance protocol was signed, which means that the ship formally belongs to the Szczecin and Świnoujście Seaports Authority SA.

The most important of all international maritime safety conventions is the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). The first version was adopted at a conference in London in 1914. The catalyst for this conference was the sinking of the Titanic on her first voyage in April 1912, which cost the lives of more than 1,500 passengers. This was the beginning of the journey that put in place a regulatory framework to protect those who work and travel by sea.Whilst the sinking of the Titanic was not fire-related…

A cargo of Russian oil bound for Cuba's Matanzas terminal has been diverted to a smaller port, following a spectacular fire that destroyed a large portion of the island's main oil terminal, vessel monitoring data showed on Thursday.Lengthy power blackouts have followed the fatal blaze, which killed one firefighter and left 14 others missing. The outages are a sign of how the accident is aggravating a long-standing energy crisis due to an obsolete power grid and lack of fuel.The Liberia-flagged tanker NS Laguna carrying 700…

Massive clouds of steam rose from Cuba's largest fuel depot in Matanzas on Wednesday as firefighters, helicopters and boats poured water and foam on the smoldering remains of the largest fire in the island's history.Black charcoal covered with white ash remained red hot after the flames died down. One firefighter was confirmed dead, and 14 were unaccounted for since blast on Saturday, according to authorities."We can now say that the fire is controlled," Lt. Colonel Alexander Avalos, deputy chief of the firefighters tackling the blaze, told the media at the scene.

An inferno at Cuba's largest oil storage facility has killed at least one firefighter, injured many more, and threatens to further swell the fuel import bill for the impoverished island nation that relies on foreign oil for everything from transportation to its power grid.Cuban officials may need to scramble to set up expensive floating storage capacity to handle imports aimed at easing an acute fuel scarcity, sources and experts said on Monday.Cuba relies on the 2.4-million-barrel Matanzas terminal…

Cuba sought on Sunday to bring under control a fire at its main oil storage facility that has killed one firefighter, drawing on help from Mexico and Venezuela to fight the raging flames.A lightning strike on Friday ignited one of eight storage tanks at the Matanzas super tanker port 60 miles east of Havana. A second tank caught fire on Saturday, catching firefighters and others at the scene by surprise. Sixteen people were missing.The second explosion injured more than 100 people…

Firefighters in Bangladesh brought a blaze at a container depot under control on Tuesday, three days after fiery explosions killed at least 43 people at a facility that a senior fire service official suspected had not followed safety guidelines.Drone footage showed smoke and rows of burnt-out containers from the fire that began late on Saturday, triggering blasts and blazes at Sitakunda, 40 km (25 miles) from the southeastern port city of Chittagong. Authorities have not determined…

An incorrectly installed section of main engine fuel oil return tubing led to an engine room fire aboard a containership off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif., the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday.Marine Investigation Report 22/15 details the NTSB’s investigation of the April 28, 2021, fire aboard the containership President Eisenhower while transiting through the Santa Barbara Channel. The vessel was transiting to Oakland, California with a crew of 22. The crew extinguished the fire using the engine room’s fixed carbon dioxide fire-extinguishing system. As a result of the fire, the vessel lost propulsion and drifted for several hours before being towed to the Port of Los Angeles. No pollution or injuries were reported.

Sweden-based Marell Boats and Scania Power Solutions are working to develop what they say is are next-generation sustainable and technologically advanced vessels as they prepare the launch of the M17 Patrol vessel with a hybrid driveline. The companies said they were collaborating to create "a sustainable and state-of-the-art vessel to meet the increased demand for hybrid solutions." According to the two firms, the M17 Patrol will become the most energy-efficient hybrid high-speed…

Califronia-based boat builder Moose Boats said it has hired Ken Royal as vice president of sales.Royal has extensive experience operating Moose Boats as a firefighter with the Tiburon Fire Protection District, and training other operators on Moose Boats, and will bring these skills and knowledge to help grow the Moose Boats brand. “Having logged over 15 years serving his district aboard two Moose Boats catamarans, we find his expertise in real world applications to be of great value to both current and prospective Moose Boats clients” said Stephen Dirkes…

From 2015 to present an estimated 250 incidents related to electric hoverboard fires have been recorded according to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. The same commission reports that 83,000 Toshiba laptop batteries were recalled in 2017 due to fire and safety concerns.In January 2017 a NYC garbage truck was the source of a neighborhood surprise when a Lithium ion battery exploded in the compactor of the truck. Luckily no one was injured.According to a study conducted by the National Fire Data Center branch of the U.S.

An explosion injured several firefighters battling a blaze on board car carrier Höegh Xiamen at berth in Jacksonville, Fla. Thursday.The eight responders have been transported to the hospital for serious injuries, including two taken by air and two by ground to to Shands Gainesville burn unit. They are all in stable condition.All of the ship's 21 crew members are off the ship, uninjured and accounted for, the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department (JFRD) said.The U.S. Coast Guard said its watchstanders at Sector Jacksonville were notified at 3:53 p.m.

On March 3, the Coast Guard published a notice that Martin Midstream Partners (MMP), a petrochemical transport and storage company, was seeking approval to modify terminal operations in Beaumont, Texas, along the Sabine-Neches Waterway. If approved, MMP would expand its liquefied hazardous gas (LHG) operations, both in volume and products. Instead of just handling ammonia the change would allow shipments of butane, propane, ethane, ethylene and propylene.Critically, MMP’s expansion would increase LHG vessel transit from 24 ships to as many as 350 per year.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) announced that two new Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) will be named in honor of Coast Guard reservists who served in the New York City Police Department and New York City Fire Department and lost their lives responding on 9/11.Adm. Karl Schultz, Coast Guard Commandant, is scheduled to announce that the new Sentinel Class Fast Response Cutters (FRCs) will be named in honor of Port Security Specialist 2nd Class Vincent Danz and Machinery Technician 1st Class Jeffrey Palazzo.Danz served as a Coast Guard Reservist, as well as an NYPD officer at the Emergency Services Unit in the Bronx. He responded on 9/11 to aid…

Twelve people, including one firefighter, sustained minor to mild injuries after a container ship leaked a hazardous material in the Port of Long Beach in Southern California, WSJ reported. A 6,000-gallon container on the ship began leaking the liquid Sunday morning, Officer Brian Fisk with the Long Beach Fire Department said. Workers who were exposed to the leaking chemical, identified as propyl acetate, experienced shortness of breath, said Davonte Marrow, a spokesman for the U.S. Coast Guard. The leak was contained and a 1,000-foot perimeter was established as a precaution. A dispatcher for the Port of Long Beach said the ship with the leaky container was the Harbour Bridge. The Coast Guard identified the liquid as propyl acetate, primarily used as a solvent.

Restrata, a global leader in consultancy and training services, has partnered with leading logistics provider Agility to offer specialised training for oil and gas sector employees at the Rumaila Energy Park (REP) in southern Iraq. The REP's new training centre will offer a wide range of courses related to health and safety and oil and gas industry operations. All training courses meet international standards, are accredited, and include transportation, catering and security services. The REP is a one million square meter, fully serviced industrial park developed by Agility Real Estate, providing a one stop shop for companies operating in southern Iraq.

Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. launched the Impala Soledad, the first in a series of four inland river towboats for IWL River, Inc. This series of CT Marine designed 134 ft. ABS Classed Inland River Service towboats are Triple Screw with a Retractable Pilothouse and all are currently under construction at Eastern’s Allanton facility. The vessel series is scheduled for delivery starting in late 2016 into 2017. The launch on June 10, 2016 was hosted by Eastern’s Project Manager Joe Stark, a Navy veteran, followed by a decorated 25 year career with the FDNY as a Marine Engineer.

Financing the Municipal, Tax-Exempt Workboat Sector. Poring over any of the many marine publications that seemingly arrive daily in your mailbox or inbox, you can get an idea of the depth and breadth of the current state of U.S. commercial marine vessel shipbuilding. Given the tumult in the oil market and the number of cancellations of vessels previously on order, it can safely be said that things certainly have looked better. Beyond this, the uncertainties of a domestic maritime industry that is so inextricably entwined with oil and gas makes predictions about what comes next…

November 20, 2015 (New York) -- Today at Pier 16 in lower Manhattan the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) honored William M. Feehan by christening and commissioning of the new fireboat William M. Feehan. Captain Louis Guzzo led the ceremonies which included a number of dignitaries from in and around the FDNY. William M. Feehan was a FDNY firefighter lost in the September 11 World Trade Center attacks. Feehan, who at 71 was the oldest of 343 firefighters to pass away in the line of duty on September 11, 2001.

From when the first warnings were heard, the Brazilian village of Bento Rodrigues had about 25 minutes to escape. The water from a broken dam holding waste water from the nearby Samarco mine in Minas Gerais state moved fast down the valley. A flood believed to be some 20 meters (65 feet) high swept through the village of 600, destroying homes and livelihoods within minutes. Apart from a few houses spared by being on higher ground, homes are little more than bare walls now. A thick sludge of water and iron ore tore off the roofs and settled over the village like hardening wax, leaving twisted cars perched awkwardly in its wake. Helicopters buzzed overhead, searching for the lost 24 hours after the deluge.

Construction of FDNY’s newest fireboat, William M. Feehan, has been completed by shipbuilder MetalCraft Marine Incorporated, and is slated for delivery and christening in the coming weeks. The name of the new boat honors veteran firefighter William Feehan, who at 71 was the oldest of 343 firefighters to pass away in the line of duty on September 11, 2001. The vessel’s nameplate, displayed prominently alongside the cabin, is milled from an I-beam lifted from the rubble of the World Trade Center.

U.S. Coast Guard and firefighter crews helped rescue four people from a boat fire Tuesday afternoon in Alameda, Calif. Coast Guard Sector San Francisco Command Center personnel received a 911-relay report at 3:51 p.m stating an engine room fire broke out aboard a 32-foot pleasure craft near the Alameda ferry terminal in the Oakland Estuary. The Sector San Francisco Command Center issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast and dispatched a rescue boatcrew from Coast Guard Station San Francisco. Alameda Fire Department personnel also responded with a fireboat and an engine company from shore. The Coast Guard rescue boatcrew quickly arrived on scene and safely removed all four passengers from the vessel.