It’s been a long time coming, but the Destin Fire Control District got a new “battle wagon” on July 22.
The battle wagon is a 52-foot fire boat, armed with two 1,500-gallon pumps, four 425 HP Yamahas, and top-notch technology.
“It’s a federal asset,” said Deputy Chief Mike Landis, noting the new boat is on the federal response list.
“So, if they need something, we’re there,” Landis said.
Not only is it a fire-fighting vessel, but it’s a “full paramedic boat,” Landis said.
The boat, tagged M-19, has monitors and IV equipment for patients.
“Anything you can think of, it’s got. It’s a rolling ambulance,” Landis said.
If a boat is 50 miles out in the Gulf and a passenger has a heart attack, they can get them off the boat and put them in a closed cabin, start IVs and main lines.
“We have the largest fleet in Florida, so, we have to have something to protect those people,” he said.
And the M-19 “will get there, and it will get there fast,” Landis said.
The M-19 will be able to respond to house and condominium fires near the bay, harbor or Gulf.
Landis said the new boat would have been perfect for the fire at Tailfins Waterfront Grill on Destin harbor last April.
“It has a big enough pump and strength to get water anywhere you want,” Landis said.
Although Destin Fire Chief Kevin Sasser didn’t know the exact distance, the guns will fire water, he did say, “it is by far more than anybody has in the area.”
It’s like having two fire trucks on a boat, Landis said.
The M-19 has been in the works for the last three to four years.
Destin Fire Control District was able to get the boat on a 75-25 grant.
“A large portion of it is paid by the federal government,” Landis said.
The total cost for the fire boat is $1.5 million, and the grant covered up to $750,000 to $1 million.
“We’ve been working on it a long time,” said Destin Fire Board Commissioner Bob Wagner, who came down to the docks for the arrival of the boat.
“I’m so excited to see it come in. It’s going to be the jewel of the Emerald Coast,” Wagner said.
The boat was built at Silver Ships in Mobile, Alabama.
“When they saw what we wanted on the boat, they decided to make it a new line,” Sasser said.
The company made upgrades and added a lot of features so they can use it as a model, Sasser said.
Fire Commissioner Mike Buckingham, Capt. Doug Kocour and retired Battalion Chief Jimmy Taylor, who also has his captain’s license, brought the M-19 back to Destin.
Buckingham said it took them about 2 ½ hours to make the trek.
“We came through the pass right now, and the current was getting it, and that thing went right through like butter,” Buckingham said of the M-19.
“When I say smooth, it was beautiful,” Buckingham said.
Taylor, who was in the driver’s seat, said, “it maneuvers quite well.”
“It’s a good riding boat. They did a good job on it. It’s a battle wagon,” Taylor said.
Taylor said the boat tops out at 45 knots.
The M-19 will be docked at the Destin Fire Public Safety Dock behind Destin Fire Control District Station 19 at 127 Calhoun Ave., overlooking Crab Island.
The 383-foot dock has six slips. Two slips have been contracted out to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, and one to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The firehouse houses six firefighters, and there are two trucks at the station.
Station 19 has a complete marine division, complete with the M-19, a 25-foot boat, two swift water 15-foot inflatables with jet motors, jet skis, and an aluminum boat for flood waters.
“We’ve got marine assets. We are the water department,” Landis said.
In the next few weeks, the fire control district will be learning and training on M-19. Sasser says they hope to be operational in a little over a month.
This article originally appeared on The Destin Log: Destin Fire’s powerful new boat: It can ‘get water anywhere you want.’
Reporting by Tina Harbuck, The Destin Log / The Destin Log
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
