VESSEL REVIEW | Fire Boat 55 – Fast response boat to serve California's San Francisco International Airport

Moose Boats of Vallejo, California, recently handed over a new emergency response vessel to the San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD).

The catamaran vessel will be operated by the SFFD’s Airport Division and will be used in case of emergencies requiring a search and rescue (SAR) response at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). It will be the second Moose response boat that SFO will have available for emergency calls in the waters surrounding the runways.

As with other assets in the Airport Division’s inventory, the new response vessel will be used for providing fire protection, fire prevention, code enforcement, emergency medical services, waterborne SAR, and hazardous materials abatement for SFO.

While many of the systems have been upgraded from the Airport Division's previous Moose Boat, the platform and controls have remained the same, enabling a seamless transition for pilots and crew, according to the builder.

Layout providing comfort and ensuring ease of movement

The vessel has a length of 46 feet (14 metres), a beam of 16 feet (4.9 metres), a draught of only 26 inches (0.7 metre), a 1,000-gallon (3,800-litre) per minute pump, storage for over fifty 10-person liferafts, and a climate-controlled wheelhouse featuring a dedicated patient care bench and improved thermal and sound insulation.

The wheelhouse electronics include a Teledyne FLIR rotating thermal camera to permit navigation and emergency response at night and in other types of reduced-visibility conditions. Power for the electronics is supplied by multiple DC battery banks.

The wheelhouse itself has four overhead windows to provide the coxswain with improved upward visibility when manoeuvring around tall structures as well as forward-leaning windscreens to reduce glare from the helm station. The angle of the windscreens also helps reduce reliance on wipers when operating the boat under inclement weather conditions.

All windows used for the wheelhouse are made from tempered glass for added safety.

Ample safety features in a compact hull

The wide fully enclosed cabin features a central helm steering station with port and starboard companion seating. The forward cabin area meanwhile contains space for a large berth and storage accessed by a port side companionway.

LED lights are fitted in the wheelhouse and throughout the self-bailing deck while bollards and grab rails are installed fore and aft. A hybrid air/foam collar protects the hull from impact damage during alongside manoeuvres.

Two Cummins QSC8.3 600hp (450kW) diesel engines drive propellers via Twin Disc MG5075SC gearboxes to deliver a top speed of 40 knots and a cruising speed of 30 knots. Fuel is fed from two tanks with a combined capacity of 480 gallons (1,800 litres).

The vessel will be stored in a boathouse near Seaplane Harbor, allowing for rapid emergency response.

The Airport Division will retain its existing Moose firefighting boat as a reserve vessel to serve the community and airport when needed, ensuring continuous service during annual maintenance of the new boat.