A little over 2 years ago the, then Ridge Culver Fire District, approved the purchase of a new marine Fire Boat. A committee had been formed to evaluate the needs and risks of the Irondequoit Bay and to evaluate different boat designs to maximize our response capabilities to answer these challenges. During the process the IFD was formed by the consolidation between Ridge Culver and Laurelton.

The new boat will serve all of Irondequoit Bay alongside our neighbors to the east, West Webster. This vessel will provide some additional capabilities and ensure public safety on the Bay as well as out into the Lake (near shore) if needed. Built by Lake Assault Boats in Wisconsin, we faced several COVID related delays in metal, motors, and other materials. The dedicated work of the committee and chairman led to the final product being realized in time for the 2024 boating/watersports season.

Equipped with a Garmin Chart Plotter and RADAR, coupled with sonar capabilities this vessel will improve our ability to find drowning victims underwater. It has a dedicated fire pump with a 1500 Gallon-Per-Minute monitor on the roof for boat and other fires, as well as discharges for smaller handlines if needed. It will have a rescue basket for getting injured persons out of the water or off of another vessel, as well as medical equipment, and is equipped with a heated cabin for longer seasons and loiter time when searching for missing persons who may jumped from the bridge. The bow drops into the water for victim rescue and retrieval but the base "V" hull allows for quick, stable, maneuvering.

We are all very excited to add this tool to our cache as we improve our ability to assist those who need us. The boat will soon be wrapped with graphics, then launched to its dock along the West Side of the bay. Once there, crews will spend a few weeks training on the new unit and we plan to be fully in-service by the end of June.