Moose Boats Bags Rhode Island Fireboat Order
Newport, R.I. fire department orders emergency response vessel from California boat builder Moose Boats.
Moose Boats, a boat designer and manufacturer in the San Francisco Bay Area, said it was awarded a contract from Newport Fire Department in Rhode Island for the construction of a M2-38 aluminum catamaran CBRNE emergency response and recovery vessel.
The vessel will be powered by twin Cummins 425hp turbo diesel propulsion engines coupled to Hamilton water-jets.The M2 catamaran will be equipped two completely independent fire pump systems each flowing in excess of 1,500 gallons per minute of fire suppression water. Each fire pump is protected by a pressure relief valve and plumbed to a high volume monitor and two 2.5” diameter valves for a combined flow exceeding 3,000 gallons per minute. The dual fire pump arrangement with dedicated discharges provides full firefighting redundancy while simultaneously maintaining full maneuverability from both propulsion engines and jets.
External air sampling, a radiation detector and distribution of breathing apparatus air both in the cabin and on deck will allow firefighters to identify and respond to incidents of a chemical, biological or radiological nature.
The navigation and electronics suite is comprised of multifunction navigation screens, radar, 3D side scan sonar, AIS, VHF radios, radio direction finder and thermal imaging camera. A heavy-duty push knee will enable the M2-38 to come in contact with larger vessels and piers while the combination ladder will allow for firefighters to disembark in beach landing scenarios and facilitate dive and rescue operations from the stern.
“The M2-38 will be used as the primary firefighting/search and rescue platform for Newport Harbor and the waters surrounding the city’s 36 miles of coastline,” said Newport Fire Department chief Peter Connerton. “Newport is known as The City by the Sea and is considered to be the sailing capital of the world, hosting many sailing events annually. These include both local races and international regattas, such as The Volvo Round the World Ocean Race, The Candy Store Cup, J Class World Championship, 12 Meter Worlds and numerous other national and international sailing contests. In addition, Newport is located at the mouth of the East Passage of Narragansett Bay which along with the West Passage has heavy commercial shipping traffic traversing its waters heading to the Ports of Providence and Daivisville.”
Connerton continued, “The M2-38’s added Firefighting & CBRNE capabilities will greatly strengthen those of the Narragansett Bay Marine Task Force (NBMTF) of which the Newport Fire Department is an active member. These enhancements are particularly relevant as they relate to the aforementioned commercial shipping.”
“This boat is being funded through the combination of an award from the 2016 Port Security Grant Program, municipal monies and a very generous donation from philanthropist and Newport resident Peter D. Kiernan III,” Connerton said.
The City of Newport utilized GSA’s Schedule 84 Cooperative Purchasing clause to purchase the boat from Moose Boats’ GSA pricing schedule. FEMA’s FY2016 Port Security Grant Program provided 75 percent of the funds to purchase the M2-38 catamaran.
