Lake Assault Boats of Superior, Wisconsin, recently handed over a new response boat to the Osage Beach Fire Protection District in central Missouri.
A Lake Assault monohull design was selected after Osage Beach Deputy Fire Chief Steve Lucas and his team tested a similar fireboat that was in operation with the Western Taney County Fire District in nearby Branson. The Western Taney County fireboat's ability to cut through waves and handle rough water was demonstrated during the test sailings, and this then compelled Osage Beach Fire to order a similar boat for its own use.
Osage Beach Fire's newest boat, named Marine 11, is a modified V-hull craft that is 31 feet (9.44 metres) long and has a 10.5-foot (3.2-metre) beam. The boat's draught is less than 18 inches (0.45 metres) with the motors trimmed up and 24 inches (0.6 metres) when trimmed down.
The craft also features a dive door on the port side as well as a fold down stair/ladder on the bow to aid in boarding and disembarking.
Power is supplied by twin 300hp (223kW) four-stroke Mercury Marine outboard engines that are controlled through a Skyhook Digital Anchor and Joystick Piloting systems. Deputy Chief Lucas said the craft is therefore easy to manoeuvre in tight spaces and capable of holding its position while the fire pump is operating.
The vessel features a full beam and fully enclosed pilothouse with an interior clearance height of 76 inches (1.93 metres) and a rooftop air conditioning and heating system. There is bench seating with storage underneath along the aft wall. The dashboard console provides ample room for fire pump controls and monitors and includes two Garmin touchscreens that operate GPS, structure scan sonar, chart plotting, and forward-looking infrared (FLIR) to assist in water rescues. The electronics draw power from a 5kW generator.
The firefighting system includes a Darley PSDE fire pump that is driven by a dedicated V8 petrol engine. There is also an electronically controlled TFT Monsoon rooftop monitor that offers an unobstructed range of at least 270 degrees and has a vertical coverage of 60 degrees above and five degrees below horizontal. A gated discharge on the forward deck supplies water to ground base apparatus.
Marine 11 replaces an older, similarly named boat in serving an area of operations that covers parts of central Missouri's famed Lake of the Ozarks reservoir.
| Marine 11 | |
| SPECIFICATIONS | |
| Type of vessel: | Firefighting/Rescue vessel |
| Flag: | USA |
| Owner: | Osage Beach Fire Protection District, Missouri, USA |
| Builder: | Lake Assault Boats, USA |
| Length overall: | 31 feet (9.44 metres) |
| Beam: | 10.5 feet (3.2 metres) |
| Draught: | 2.0 feet (0.6 metres) |
| Main engines: | 2 x Mercury Marine outboards, each 300 hp (223 kW) |
| Generator: | 5.0 kW |
| Sonar: | Garmin |
| GPS: | Garmin |
| Plotter: | Garmin |
| Night vision: | Garmin FLIR |
| Other electronics: | Garmin displays |
| Other equipment installed: | Dive door; bow stair/ladder |
| Firefighting equipment: | Darley PSDE pump; TFT Monsoon monitor |
| Operational area: | Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, USA |