Innovative Design for Fireboats
features
The 52-year-old fireboat used in Tacoma, Wash., is being replaced by two new craft with an innovative design allowing quicker acceleration, lower wake and better fuel economy.
A main feature of the new boats is the use of a buoyant catamaran-type hull called the surface effect ship (SES) hull. The boats ride on a captured air bubble held underneath by the hard sidewalls and a neoprene curtain fore and aft. Although SES hulls are not new, this is the first time one has been used used on a fireboat.
The 70-foot craft have a 20-foot beam and weigh 39 tons yet are capable of a 30-knot dash speed with a maximum 18-inch wake. Two diesel engines give a 10-hour cruising range.
For fire attack, each craft has a pair of 2500-gpm adjustable nozzles mounted below the forward deck. Two other 2500-gpm monitors are mounted on the deck in front of the wheelhouse. Above the wheelhouse is a single monitor capable of delivering the full 5500-gpm pumping capacity of the craft. All nozzles can be operated hydraulically from the wheelhouse.
The water tower nozzle has a capacity of 1500 gpm and is operated from the bottom of the ladder, which can also serve as a lifting boom for rescue, salvage and loading functions.
Tacoma has received a federal contract to document the crafts’ performance. The documentation will provide information for other fire departments interested in upgrading their harbor service.
