FIREBOAT OPERATIONS

FIREBOAT OPERATIONS

The following considerations apply when operating on board, or in conjunction with, fireboats:

  • When members of land units are operating on board the fireboat, the officer in command of the boat is in overall command of the units on board. Always check with the officer in command of the boat, or in his absence, the pilot, prior to embarking or disembarking the boat. In addition, consult with the officer of the fireboat prior to performing firefighting tactics from on board. This will ensure that the boat is in the proper position and secured, if necessary, resulting in a safer operation.
  • When fireboats are responding, an estimated time of arrival and the fireboat’s capabilities and special equipment on board should be radioed to the incident commander. While responding, the officer and pilot will check tide and navigation charts and relay any information that may be useful to the incident commander.
  • A listing of special equipment carried on board fireboats should be available at the communications office and distributed to field commanders to help ensure that this specialized equipment will be dispatched as soon as its need is evident. When requesting the use of a marine company’s specialized equipment, communicate the need of this equipment to the company early in its response to ensure the in-service status of the equipment and give the company time to prepare for its use. This procedure is appropriate also when foam is to be used. The incident commander should notify the marine company of this fact early. Foam-transfer equipment may have to be made ready on board and monitors’ nozzles may have to be changed.
  • All members on board shall wear personal flotation devices (PFDs). Enough PFDs should be carried on board to meet the needs of all land units operating on the fireboat.
  • The officer in command of the fireboat, using the radios carried on board, shall contact the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). Information to and from the incident commander and the USCG can be relayed through the fireboat officer.
  • Personnel operating from small boats launched from fireboats should operate in pairs, wear PFDs, and have radios. At night, adequate lighting must be provided.
  • Safety zones must be established during operation of fireboats’ large-caliber streams. Members should be constantly aware of the power, reach, and destructive capabilities of large-caliber streams. Water should not be started until it is confirmed that all personnel have been removed from the danger zone. Water from large-caliber streams can reach distances of 475 feet in some instances. If a marine sector has been established, coordination between the incident commander and the marine sector commander is essential. In addition, when monitors are shut down, large ‘“slugs of water” drop along the line of the stream as pressure diminishes. They may be of considerable size and weight, and members should be cautioned against walking under the path of the stream.
  • Land units should attend drills designed to familiarize them with the fireboat’s equipment and capabilities and marine company operating tactics. Large-caliber stream capabilities should be demonstrated during these drills, using the streams along a measured distance such as a pier or bulkhead, to help members fully appreciate the reach of these streams.
  • Land units in proximity to harbors, as well as marine companies, should carry international shore connections, enabling companies to supply the ship’s fire main. These connections will connect directly to a flange on deck or an adapter carried on the ship, which then will connect to a fitting on deck.

Four Firefighters Hurt in Fire in Abandoned Harlem (NY) Building

Four firefighters were injured battling a massive fire that tore through an abandoned Harlem building where jazz icon Billie Holiday reportedly once lived.