By Ian Holmes

Newly equipped fire fighting boat unveiled in Nanaimo

Aug 26, 2016 | 10:32 PM

NANAIMO — Knocking down boat fires in Nanaimo’s harbour just got much easier.

The Nanaimo Port Authority’s 39-foot patrol vessel Osprey is now equipped with fire fighting equipment, featuring a pump and two hoses, thanks to a partnership with Nanaimo Fire Rescue.

The department’s assistant chief Tim Doyle says the hoses can shoot water 150 feet in different directions, essentially providing the same function as a land-based fire engine.

“It does approximately 1,500 gallons a minute…it can shoot off the bow and the stern,” stated Doyle, as the reconfigured vessel was shown off to a group of dignitaries on Friday morning near the cruise ship terminal.

The city of Nanaimo’s share of the project is $80,000.

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“They (Nanaimo Port Authority) take care of the boat, we take care of the fire fighting,” says Doyle.

Nanaimo Port Authority harbour master Ed Dahlgren says boat fires happen every five years or so, but stresses these incidents are typically serious when they happen.

He points to a pair of notable boat fires in the harbour over the last several years, including a vessel sinking near the yacht club, releasing fuel in the process.

Putting out boat fires isn’t the only function of the refurbished Port Authority patrol vessel – Dahlgren says the range of its hoses can also assist in structure fires in the waterfront area.

On top of that, Dahlgren says on-land fuel spills headed toward the harbour can be absorbed by using foam from the Osprey to alleviate potential environmental damage.

“Using the compressed air foam system to blanket it, minimizes and ensures there won’t be a danger.”

Until now, Dahlgren says their staff had to manually load a pump aboard in order to fight fires, describing the ordeal as an “after-the-fact fire response”.

He is confident the next serious boat fire in the harbour will be handled in a much more efficient and effective manner.

“When it happens, it goes bad quickly, so that first rapid attack is crucial.”