Chattanooga Fire Departments adds two new Fire Boats

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn (WDEF) – The Chattanooga Fire Department has two new state-of-the-art fireboats!

They are made by Stanley Boats out of Canada.

They are 24 feet in length with a dive door and a landing craft front.

The boats are powered by 225 horsepower Suzuki engines.

“Most of our calls on the water are actually rescues like paddle boarders. With this particular boat that we have here, we can actually lower the front gate down. What that will do is allow us to either get a paddle boarder or a victim that we have had to do spinal mobilization with – we can get them in the boat without causing any further harm to them,” says Chief Rick Boatwright, CFD Operations Chief. 

They are equipped with a 500 gallon per minute fire pump.

Officials say the boats will greatly aid the department with operations and rescues on the water!