Moose Boats, Vallejo, Calif., has delivered a new 38'10"x13'10" M2-38 catamaran CBRN, dive and fire rescue vessel to the San Francisco Fire Department.
SFFD’s Marine Unit responds to hundreds of shoreline and open-water search and rescue calls per year so the new M2 is outfitted with a cabin roof observation tower and an array of high-powered searchlights.
“The San Francisco Fire Department’s new, M2-38 Moose Boat will support a wide range of emergency response scenarios, such as dive operations, search and rescue, and fire suppression,”SFFD’s assistant deputy chief Anthony Rivera said. “The SFFD annually responds to hundreds of marine related calls for service. The new Moose boat is an additional asset that will increase our marine capability and effectiveness in serving, not only the city of San Francisco, but the entire San Francisco Bay area region.”
The M2 is outfitted with an integrated dive/recovery platform and a bow ladder for beach rescues. Due to its homeland security role, it is also equipped with a Hale fire pump with Logan Clutch PTO flowing in excess of 1,500 gpm of fire suppression water, radiation detection equipment and CBRN positive pressure cabin air filtration.
A heavy-duty push knee enables the M2-38 to come in contact with larger vessels and San Francisco’s many piers.
Main propulsion comes from twin Cummins QSB6.7 425-hp turbo diesel engines connected to HamiltonJet HJ292 waterjets through Twin Disc MG-5075Sc marine gears.
SFFD’s new Moose boat has a host of electronics including a Simrad multifunction navigation screen, radar and 3D side scan sonar, L3 Maritime Systems AIS, FLIR stabilized thermal imaging camera, Motorola and Icom communications radios and an Ocean Technology Systems diver recall system.
FEMA’s FY2015 Port Security Grant Program funded 75% of the purchase for the M2-38 catamaran, which will become a vital regional asset for San Francisco Bay Area marine response efforts.
