Port of Houston to have world’s most advanced fireboats
Port of Houston will receive within two weeks the first of three high-performance fireboats to replace the current fleet. The Firestorm 70 is now en route through four Great Lakes and the Mississippi River, the Port Authority news release said. The new fireboats will equip the Port Authority’s firefighting team with the most sophisticated fleet in the world.
“As the nation’s busiest port in terms of foreign tonnage and home to one of the world’s largest petrochemical complexes, our firefighting team is second to none in protecting this national asset and the many who work here,” said Port Authority Executive Director Len Waterworth. “These new fireboats will strengthen these firefighters’ ability to save lives and property along the 25-mile long Port of Houston.”
The five-member crew includes three from the Port of Houston Authority’s Fire Department. The boat master is Port Authority Senior Captain Glenn Hood, a 14-year veteran of the fire department. The vessel will stop at Galveston, Texas before arriving at the Port of Houston on about June 1, 2013.
The Port of Houston Fire Department currently operates four fire stations strategically stationed along the Houston Ship Channel. The personnel and equipment fight marine and land fires and respond to other emergencies in the upper ship channel.
Ship's characteristics:
The new Firestorm 70 is a state-of-the-art command center and high speed response vessel. Built by MetalCraft Marine, each fireboat has powerful quad diesel inboard engines to propel the vessel at a swift 45 knots top speed. The current fleet clocks in at 14 and 16 knots. Such an improvement in speed is important when providing fire protection for the 25-mile long Port of Houston. The new fireboats are very maneuverable, can make quick stops and change direction within three boat lengths.
Part firehouse, part fireboat, the vessel enables the crew to stay on station for extended periods. The cabin includes a primary care berth with four secondary berths in the cuddy. Portable berths can be positioned in the aft equipment cabin to handle the injured at an incident.
Four firefighting pumps can produce flow meter results of 13,600 gallons per minute (GPM) at 150 pounds per square inch (PSI) and 17,000 GPM at 130 PSI and stream up to 450 feet with a roof mounted Stang monitor. This is three times the discharge rate of any of the current Port Authority fireboats. As a shore hydrant, the FireStorm 70 can pump an impressive 7,000 GPM at 70 PSI through 1000 feet of hose from a 5” Storz outlet before staging pumps are required.
Each fireboat is 70’10” long with a breadth of 22’10” and a draft of 34 inches. Funds for these vessels come mostly from federal grants to replace the three aging fireboats commissioned in 1973 and 1983.