Mike Walsh, chairperson of the fireboat committee, along with George Stanko (company president), and Ronnie Daniels (former chief of 26 years), have been working on this project since November 2001. “We looked at numerous options and companies before deciding on MetalCraft Marine,” says Walsh. “And we spent two years looking at fireboats in five states before we settled on the Firestorm. However, acquiring funding was the major challenge.”
“At first it seemed a grant through the Fire Act, Homeland Security, or FEMA was a no-go, but during a 2013 visit to the U.S. Coast Guard station in Curtis Bay, an individual reviewed our application and explained what we were wording wrong. We reworked it, and in 2015 we were awarded a Port Security Grant from the Department of Homeland Security. Additionally this year we were awarded $50,000 from Maryland DNR Waterway Management Fund to help offset the cost.”
The new boat, known as Cecil County Boat Five, was delivered August 23. It went in the water almost immediately, and training started shortly thereafter. The boat requires a crew of two to four. “We currently have 12 people training to operate it. Some are medically trained, and for all calls we try to include at least one EMT or higher rated person,” says Walsh.
The boat’s fire pump shoots 2200 GPM through five different discharges. It’s also equipped with five touch-screen Garmin displays that do chart plotting, radar FLIR (night vision), side scanning, a weather station, and depth finding. In addition there’s a side dive door and a bow mounted ladder, plus a davit rated at 500 pounds for assisting with lifting patients out of the water. The cabin is climate controlled with electrical heated front windshields, all powered by a 7.5 kW generator. It is rated for all weather conditions up to but not including hurricane-type weather.
The Company, which is all volunteer, covers all tidal waters in Cecil County, the Upper Chesapeake Bay to Pooles Island, and portions of Harford and Kent counties.
Wednesday, September 13, 2017 - 15:35
After years of searching for the right boat and the right funding, the Charlestown Fire Company in Cecil County recently welcomed a new 32-foot Firestorm fire rescue vessel to its fleet. The boat is packed with the latest features and will reside at its own dock supplied by the Town of Charlestown.
Mike Walsh, chairperson of the fireboat committee, along with George Stanko (company president), and Ronnie Daniels (former chief of 26 years), have been working on this project since November 2001. “We looked at numerous options and companies before deciding on MetalCraft Marine,” says Walsh. “And we spent two years looking at fireboats in five states before we settled on the Firestorm. However, acquiring funding was the major challenge.”
“At first it seemed a grant through the Fire Act, Homeland Security, or FEMA was a no-go, but during a 2013 visit to the U.S. Coast Guard station in Curtis Bay, an individual reviewed our application and explained what we were wording wrong. We reworked it, and in 2015 we were awarded a Port Security Grant from the Department of Homeland Security. Additionally this year we were awarded $50,000 from Maryland DNR Waterway Management Fund to help offset the cost.”
The new boat, known as Cecil County Boat Five, was delivered August 23. It went in the water almost immediately, and training started shortly thereafter. The boat requires a crew of two to four. “We currently have 12 people training to operate it. Some are medically trained, and for all calls we try to include at least one EMT or higher rated person,” says Walsh.
The boat’s fire pump shoots 2200 GPM through five different discharges. It’s also equipped with five touch-screen Garmin displays that do chart plotting, radar FLIR (night vision), side scanning, a weather station, and depth finding. In addition there’s a side dive door and a bow mounted ladder, plus a davit rated at 500 pounds for assisting with lifting patients out of the water. The cabin is climate controlled with electrical heated front windshields, all powered by a 7.5 kW generator. It is rated for all weather conditions up to but not including hurricane-type weather.
The Company, which is all volunteer, covers all tidal waters in Cecil County, the Upper Chesapeake Bay to Pooles Island, and portions of Harford and Kent counties.
Mike Walsh, chairperson of the fireboat committee, along with George Stanko (company president), and Ronnie Daniels (former chief of 26 years), have been working on this project since November 2001. “We looked at numerous options and companies before deciding on MetalCraft Marine,” says Walsh. “And we spent two years looking at fireboats in five states before we settled on the Firestorm. However, acquiring funding was the major challenge.”
“At first it seemed a grant through the Fire Act, Homeland Security, or FEMA was a no-go, but during a 2013 visit to the U.S. Coast Guard station in Curtis Bay, an individual reviewed our application and explained what we were wording wrong. We reworked it, and in 2015 we were awarded a Port Security Grant from the Department of Homeland Security. Additionally this year we were awarded $50,000 from Maryland DNR Waterway Management Fund to help offset the cost.”
The new boat, known as Cecil County Boat Five, was delivered August 23. It went in the water almost immediately, and training started shortly thereafter. The boat requires a crew of two to four. “We currently have 12 people training to operate it. Some are medically trained, and for all calls we try to include at least one EMT or higher rated person,” says Walsh.
The boat’s fire pump shoots 2200 GPM through five different discharges. It’s also equipped with five touch-screen Garmin displays that do chart plotting, radar FLIR (night vision), side scanning, a weather station, and depth finding. In addition there’s a side dive door and a bow mounted ladder, plus a davit rated at 500 pounds for assisting with lifting patients out of the water. The cabin is climate controlled with electrical heated front windshields, all powered by a 7.5 kW generator. It is rated for all weather conditions up to but not including hurricane-type weather.
The Company, which is all volunteer, covers all tidal waters in Cecil County, the Upper Chesapeake Bay to Pooles Island, and portions of Harford and Kent counties.