New York Fire Department News

California-based boatbuilder Moose Boats has delivered a new fireboat to the Rochester, N.Y. Fire Department. The M2-38, dubbed Marine 1, is the first Moose in the Great Lakes. With a roof monitor, a cockpit monitor, a 5” large diameter hose Storz discharge, and the ability to pump over 1,500 gallons per minute, this boat will offer greatly increased capabilities to the city and its surrounding communities, the builder said.Rochester Fire Department's new boat has an extended walk-around cabin configured with three shock-mitigating crew seats…

These days, cost-conscious municipalities across the fruited plain, from sea to shining sea, are ordering new waterborne assets to cover their many local responsibilities. When they do, they want ‘more bang for their buck,’ combining multiple missions – and the equipment that makes it all possible – onto one hull. That’s a tall order on the typically compact patrol boat style hulls that tend to be big on performance, but short on space for equipment that can demand a significant physical footprint. One such shipbuilder stepping up to plate to deliver on a raft of promises is Gulf Coast-based Metal Shark. Significantly expanding its presence in the fireboat market with a diverse range of fireboats currently in production for multiple customers…

Coast Guard responds to deadly New York harbor pilot accident.On December 30, 2019 at approximately 0430, Sandy Hook Pilot Captain Dennis R. Sherwood was involved in an incident while boarding a container vessel inbound to the Port of New York & New Jersey. He sustained injuries after falling from an accommodation ladder and was evacuated to a local hospital where his injuries proved to be fatal. Prior to the incident, Captain Sherwood had been piloting vessels in and out of the Port of New York & New Jersey for over 35 years.The incident is being investigated by the United States Coast Guard.

SAFE Boats International (SAFE), delivered boats 17, 18 and 19 to the marine division of the New York Fire Department during the month of August. Since 2006 SAFE has successfully built and delivered a variety of boats to FDNY ranging in size from a 27’ full cabin vessel with firefighting equipment all the way up to the 64’ “Bravest” with three separate fire pump stations that went into service in 2011.The three latest additions to the FDNY fleet are 33’ full cabin boats. They are the 11th, 12th and 13th boats of that size and configuration.

Moose Boats, a boat designer and manufacturer in the San Francisco Bay Area, was awarded a contract from the City of Rochester, New York Fire Department for the construction of the first M2-38 Fire Rescue Catamaran to be delivered to the Great Lakes. Twin Cummins 425hp turbo diesel propulsion engines, Twin Disc transmissions and Hamilton water-jets will power the M2-38 aluminum catamaran. Rochester Fire's new Moose Boat will be equipped with a fire pump system flowing over 1,500…

As Brunswick Commercial & Government Products expands its capabilities and product line, the Florida-based boatbuilder is positioned to safely provide increased efficiencies, and an expanded, multi-mission product line. When Brunswick Commercial & Government Products (BCGP) broke ground on a facility expansion at the company’s Florida headquarters in early May, it served notice that this well-known boatbuilder had ramped up both its delivery capabilities, and an expanded array of new hulls. With a new large-boat building that includes added manufacturing space and other facility improvements, the 10,500-square-foot facility increases the company’s manufacturing capacity by 50 percent.

A top U.S. Coast Guard official said at a recent congressional oversight hearing that the Coast Guard “has not been aggressively enforcing the compliance” of vessel response plans filed under federal Salvage and Marine Firefighting (SMFF) regulations. The rules, derived from the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, are meant to prevent a worst-case discharge resulting from fire or explosion aboard a vessel. “The shocking admission by the Coast Guard that it cannot, and is not, enforcing its own marine firefighting rules should be a warning to all ship owners…

A New York Waterways ferry struck a group of kayakers on the Hudson River Tuesday afternoon, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. Five of the 11 kayakers were transported to Bellevue Hospital and Mount Sinai Roosevelt Hospital for additional medical attention, and two were listed in critical condition. Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector New York received a call from the master aboard the ferry Jersey City at approximately 5:50 p.m. Tuesday, reporting a collision between the ferry and the group of kayakers near Pier 79 in Manhattan. A Coast Guard Station New York smallboat crew was launched and arrived on scene to assist New York Police Department, New York Fire Department and Jersey City Fire Department officials with rescuing the 11 kayakers from the water.

Three U.S. Navy ships, two U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) cutters, and four U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) Yard Patrol boats have arrived in the New York Harbor to participate in the 2015 Fleet Week New York Parade of Ships. Participating ships include the amphibious transport dock USS San Antonio (LPD 17), Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided-missile destroyers USS Barry (DDG 52) and USS Stout (DDG 55), 703-class USNA Yard Patrol boats, and U.S. Coast Guard cutters Sturgeon Bay (WTGB 109) and Spencer (WMEC 905). Named in honor of the 343 firefighters who lost their lives at the World Trade Center on Sept.

McAllister Towing hosted a dual celebration in New York City on Friday, September 19, a gala in honor of the company’s 150th anniversary and a traditional christening of the Buckley McAllister, the latest high tech tractor tug added to the company’s fleet. Pier 60 at Chelsea piers was packed with a veritable “Who’s Who” in the maritime industry as Captain Brian A. McAllister, Chairman (4th generation); Buckley McAllister, President (5th generation) and Eric McAllister, CFO (5th generation) presided over the signature New York event.

Many public safety dive teams, police and sheriffs departments, and government agencies are acquiring side scan sonar systems to assist in their underwater search and survey operations. Side scan is the ideal tool for these operations because it produces detailed images of the underwater environment regardless of water clarity. In addition, the sonar is able to search large areas quickly, scanning several hundred feet of ocean, lake, or river bottom with each pass of the boat. Side scan can easily locate a variety of targets including sunken boats, submerged vehicles, and drowning victims.

A team of Coast Guard investigators and inspectors was on scene at the Staten Island Ferry terminal after a ferry struck the pier around 9:30 a.m. on May 8. The ferry boat Andrew J. Barberi reportedly lost propulsion and struck the pier, resulting in serious damage to the facility's ramps and the main decks of the boat above the waterline. There were 252 passengers and 18 crew members onboard at the time of incident. There have been reports of minor injuries. There have been no reports of pollution. A rescue boat crew from Coast Guard Station New York was also on scene after the incident. The New York Port Authority prepared to move the ferry to a different slip while the investigation is being conducted.

The U.S. Coast Guard responded yesterday to a report of a ferry vessel aground near Liberty Island. The Golden Sunshine, a 90-foot tourist transport based in New Jersey, ran aground on rocks on the northern side of Liberty Island while enroute to Manhattan at approximately 11:15 a.m. Coast Guard Sector New York received notification at 11:30. The vessel was towed into deeper water by a U.S. Park Police vessel. A New York Fire Department vessel was also on scene to assist in the tow. The Coast Guard Cutter Line was diverted from a routine patrol to escort the Golden Sunshine to its berth at the Liberty Landing Marina in the Morris Canal, N.J.

A clear, sunny Saturday afternoon of November 10, set the stage for the arrival of the first passenger ship into New York Harbor following the September 11 terrorist attacks. The vessel, Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas, sailed into New York for a two-day tribute cruise for the families of the fallen firemen and police officers who were victim to the devastation at the World Trade Center. Royal Caribbean also plans to donate $50,000 to the Twin Towers Relief Fund. The 142,000-ton Adventure of the Seas - sister ship to Voyager and Explorer of the Seas - was christened at Pier 88 and named by representatives of the New York Police Department and New York Fire Department.