Fort Lauderdale (FL) Firefighters Drill In Land-Based Shipboard Firefighting

As the Venice of America, the City of Fort Lauderdale has a constant influx of marine traffic. The hundreds of yachts, numerous marine repair facilities, and special events, such as the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show, Winterfest Boat Parade and other attractions make Fort Lauderdale a prime hazard for marine fires.

 

The Fort Lauderdale (FL) Fire Department operates with a marine team 365 days of the year encompassing dive rescue and marine firefighting. In support of this team, the remaining Shift operations personnel will often assist in combating difficult vessel fires. In the months of October and November, Fort Lauderdale Fire-Rescue worked hard to acquire a 120’ Broward yacht scheduled for demolition. The vessel was dry-docked at Lauderdale Marine, which is located on the waterway at 2001 Southwest 20th Street in the City of Fort Lauderdale. The yacht served as an opportunity for realistic training in mitigating these types of fires.

All Operations Personnel were scheduled through the four-hour drill to perform training in vessel familiarization, line deployment, tactics, rapid intervention scenarios, and fire extinguishment procedures. Many neighboring jurisdictions were invited to attend the training allowing for unified operations. These fires are some of the most dangerous in our industry. Fort Lauderdale firefighters will continue to improve and prepare for marine firefighting response within the Venice of America. 

• Read Ship Fires vs. Structure Fires