Lake Assault Boats, part of Fraser Shipyards, displayed two vessels at this year’s Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) Exhibition in Indianapolis, Ind., on April 27-29. On view were Lake Assault’s 21' rescue boat and a 28' fireboat that is capable of pumping 1,500 gpm.
“We engineer and manufacture purpose-built fire and emergency boats — from 17' on up — to meet the needs of first responders from coast to coast,” Chad DuMars, Lake Assault’s vice president of operations, said in a prepared statement. “These two craft on display at FDIC showcase how every detail on Lake Assault boats is designed to drive performance.”
The 28'x9'6" fireboat has a carrying capacity of 4,000 lbs. Manufactured from high-strength marine grade 5083 and 5086 aluminum, the hull and superstructure are MIG and TIG welded throughout for added strength and long life. It includes twin Mercury Verado 250-hp outboard engines along with the Mercury Joystick Piloting and Skyhook Digital Anchor systems for enhanced boat control, safety and performance. Other features include a Darley fire pump rated at 1,500 gpm, a 76" tall pilothouse, a full suite of Garmin electronics, a 63" hydraulically operated bow door and LED underwater lights integrated into the front lip of the bow door.
The 21-foot Lake Assault rescue boat belongs to Minnesota’s Anoka Champlin Fire Department (located north of the Twin Cities). The hull design features removable side railings that enable emergency responders to quickly and more easily rescue someone off the side of the boat. It was placed into service last year and is deployed on the Mississippi River, which runs through the department’s response area.
“We’ve used these Lake Assault boats multiple times on rescue operations to pull people out of the rivers,” said Charlie Thompson, fire chief for the Anoka-Champlin Fire Department in Minnesota. “Our team worked with Lake Assault’s designers to build boats that can operate in very shallow waters, and ones that enable us to quickly and easily reach out and rescue someone off the side of the boat.”
Lake Assault Boats tested on Lake Superior and custom engineered using technology and resources unmatched in the fireboat industry, according to Lake Assault officials. Lake Assault offers a range of custom hull designs and configurations suitable for use on inland lakes and rivers, inter-coastal, and offshore waters to meet the needs of first responders.
