FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Fort Myers Fire Department unveiled a new boat and its new home aimed at increasing capabilities and quicker response times.
“It’s a tool that we now have to render quick aid to anybody that needs it on the water,” Deputy Fort Myers Fire Chief James Hayden said. “Especially during Fourth of July or any of the big events, the boat parades — there’s a lot of vessels on the water and there’s potential for a lot of bad things to happen.”
The new boat, Marine 10, is longer, wider, and more stable — equipped with infrared cameras and a water cannon so powerful it pushes the boat like a jet while in use. Most of the craft’s increased capabilities haven’t been called into action yet, but Marine 10 has already been deployed during strong storms.
“Just yesterday we were able to get out into the water,” Hayden said. “Thankfully nobody was hurt. Thankfully, there’s no major incidents that occurred, even amidst the high wind and waves. The Fort Myers Police Department did a good job as well, rendering aid to a few folks. So we were able to test and see how quick we can get out to the open water.”
Hayden said the benefits of Marine 10 are twofold. The boat itself is much more capable. But, equally as important is where it’s docked. Until a few weeks ago, FMFD’s boat was docked in the back corner of Fort Myers Yacht Basin. This delayed response time and put other people’s boats (and even people) at risk during emergencies. Now, FMFD has a new dock right next to FMPD’s boat with a straight shot into the Caloosahatchee.
“Being able to get to the boat as quickly as possible, not only get to the boat, but then from the boat to the open water — that’s the piece we can control and we can shave several minutes off of that time by moving the boat where it is,” Hayden said.
Marine 10 is actively being used now to respond to emergencies across Southwest Florida’s waters.
The post Fort Myers Fire Department unveils new boat & dock to increase response times appeared first on NBC2 News.
