Silver Ships Inc., Theodore, Ala., recently delivered a 34' custom designed and purpose-built all-welded aluminum fire/rescue boat to the Islip Fire District on Long Island, New York.
The Islip Fire District’s area of responsibility includes The Great South Bay, communities on Fire Island, the Atlantic Ocean and Fire Island Inlet. The boat will also be made available to other fire districts on a mutual aid basis.
Islip Fire District’s Board of Directors wanted an all-welded aluminum boat to insure the safety and comfort of their crews when responding to, and on scene, of various emergency situations. The new boat incorporates many design features specific to the missions the district responds to, including fire and rescue, emergency medical, diving operations and the supply of water to land-based units in order to aid in firefighting operations.
Design highlights include a walkaround-style pilothouse; a dive door with underwater lighting; a bow door to facilitate bringing patients aboard via a “pass-through” on the forward end of the pilothouse and onto one of two treatment benches for EMS treatment, which is especially helpful when the vessel can only come in “bow to the dock”; and overhead inspection ports; sliding side doors; head compartment and trim tabs.
Outfitting equipment highlights include a propulsion system consisting of triple 300-hp Mercury Verado outboard engines; a 5-kW Westerbeke genset; heating and air conditioning; an American Safe Room CBRNE air filtration system; a microwave; and a refrigerator.
The fire suppression system includes a Darley1,000-gpm fire pump coupled to a Stang rooftop remote control monitor; two standpipes for hose use and supplying land-based units; and a remote control operation panel at the helm.
The electronics suite includes a Furuno TZ Touch System with 36NM radar; a GPS; an echo sounder and two display screens for operator and navigator; ICOM VHF radios; David Clark 3-person wireless intercom system; an EPIRB; a FLIR system; and a 6-man life raft.
The vessel represents a new class of fire/rescue boat for Silver Ships, which is planning in the near future to expand the new series into various sizes.
