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KPFD gets new fire boat
By Lance McMillan
Special to KP News
In an arrangement concluded at the
end of January, a Motor Life Boat (MLB) was transferred
to Key Peninsula Fire District 16. This highly capable,
44-foot-long aluminum hulled craft will provide Key
Peninsula firefighters with the ability to respond to
emergencies on the water in south Puget Sound. The MLB
was the property of the Washington State Department of
National Resources and had been on extended loan to the
Anderson Island Fire Department since 1999.
The opportunity to acquire the MLB
arose when the Anderson Island Fire Department obtained
a new fire boat and was looking for a way to dispose of
its old one. Capt. Hal Wolverton of KPFD learned of the
availability, and an agreement on the MLB transfer was
finalized in about two weeks’ time, according to
Division Chief Guy Allen. The main impediment to
concluding the arrangement was convincing the District
16 Fire Commissioners. They wanted assurances that the
boat was a good deal and that there would be no
additional costs to taxpayers, Allen said.
The transfer process was actually
free, but Allen acknowledges there are costs associated
with operating the boat. He estimates the department
needs to spend about $13,000 to bring the boat up to
specifications and for initial crew training in the
first year of operations. It will take about $11,000 to
keep it running in later years.
“We plan to train up to 10 pilots,”
said Allen, “and qualify most of our other firefighters
as deckhands for the boat.” Pilots will complete an
extensive training program, including obtaining U.S.
Coast Guard Power Squadron and Radar Navigation
certifications. Once initial standup training is
completed in May, the plan is to conduct regular
refresher training on a quarterly basis.
The boat design is based on a
proven U.S. Coast Guard aluminum hulled Utility Tug Boat
(UTB) with self-righting features for operations in high
surf conditions. It is a 20-ton craft with a beam of
13.5 feet and draft of 3.5 feet. It is equipped with two
Detroit 6V53, 185 HP, marine diesel engines that are
capable of driving the boat at speeds up to 14 knots. It
carries a 250 gallon-per-minute firefighting and
dewatering pumps and is configured for — but not
currently fitted with — a remotely operated water cannon
in the bow. With a crew of four, it can carry up to 21
people onboard.
Although the KP Fire District has
two jet-ski craft used for emergency life-saving
purposes, the MLB, FD-16’s first large water-response
craft, provides the local firefighters with greater
water-borne response capability.
Even though the MLB isn’t
officially operational yet, it has already responded to
an emergency call. On a Saturday morning in February,
KPFD received a call about a 21-foot catamaran that had
come adrift from its mooring in Von Geldern Cove. It was
threatening to strike the pilings of a house built out
over the water. The MLB, with Capt. Wolverton at the
helm and firefighters Tony Carr, Todd Vanscoyk, and Saul
Wolverton assisting, was dispatched to tow the catamaran
back to anchorage and reset its anchor.
The District plans to moor the MLB
at the Longbranch Marina. In the event of an emergency
call, a crew would likely respond from the Home Fire
Station. Chief Allen estimates it will take between 12
to 15 minutes from receipt of a 911 call for the boat to
get underway. “We’re guessing that MLB will be used for
about a half dozen calls a year,” Allen said.
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