Jacksonville Fire And Rescue Department News

An electrical fault from an improperly disconnected battery in a used vehicle led to the fire aboard vehicle carrier Höegh Xiamen that resulted in $40 million worth of damages, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday.As a result of the investigation, NTSB issued eight safety recommendations to federal regulators and the companies involved in the accident.On June 4, 2020, while the Höegh Xiamen was in Jacksonville, Fla., the ship's crew noticed smoke coming from the ventilation housing while preparing to depart port for Baltimore, Md.

A three-alarm fire that broke out aboard vehicle carrier Höegh Xiamen in the Port of Jacksonville last week continues to burn but has been controlled and contained, authorities said Monday.Firefighters with Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department (JFRD) and specialist marine firefighters with Resolve Marine Group are working to maintain the structural integrity of the 600-foot roll-on, roll-off (RoRo) ship and reduce the threat of any environmental impact to the river. Containment booms have been placed around the vessel as a precautionary measure, though no pollution has been reported.

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.

The U.S. Coast Guard and good Samaritans came to the rescue of three people Monday after their vessel capsized near Blount Island.  Coast Guard watchstanders in Jacksonville were notified via VHF-FM marine band radio channel 16 at 6:03 p.m. by a good Samaritan aboard the motor vessel Grand Mercury reporting three people in the water and a capsized 15-foot boat. A Coast Guard Station Mayport 29-foot Response Boat – Small boatcrew launched, arrived on scene at 6:25 p.m. and rescued one person from the water while the crew of the tugboat Sewells Point rescued two others. The Coast Guard boat crew transferred the three people to EMS at Blount Island and no injuries were reported. The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department towed the capsized vessel to the Arlington Road Public Boat Ramp.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) reported it is responding to a report of a vessel that caught fire and became disabled with two men and a dog aboard south of the McCormick Bridge in the Intracoastal Waterway in Jacksonville Beach, Fla., Thursday. A boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Mayport, Fla., is currently on scene with the vessel, the fire is extinguished and there are no injuries reported, the USCG said. Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department notified watchstanders in the Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville command center of the situation at 7:54 a.m. The men were reportedly transiting from Palm Cove Marina in Jacksonville aboard the 33-foot sport fisher Day Tripper when the boat caught fire.

On April 2, 2014, Sea Star Line’s vessel El Faro and its employees participated in a joint training exercise at North Florida shipyards. The training exercise focused on evaluating agency procedures, communication plans and training programs to assure all agencies can respond in the most efficient way to emergency events and to mitigate risks and damage. “The mock training exercise was an excellent opportunity to participate in and ensure that our local emergency agencies are prepared for emergency response events,” stated Jim Wagstaff, vice president of operations for Sea Star Line, LLC.