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Special Feature


Photos by Britton W Crosby

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Original Feature Posted April 26, 2004 - Re-launched January 28, 2012
Reorganized December 9, 2015    Updated May 3, 2019

FDNY SMALL BOATS
Including Marine 3, Marine 4, Marine 8
and others

The latest FDNY Boats - 2015 Update
The Marine Division has expanded and modernized its fleet considerably in recent years.
As a review, the three primary Marine Units - Marine 1, Marine 6, and Marine 9 all operate
major fire boats.

ALPHA BOATS
In addition, each of these Marine stations have an ALPHA boat, essentially a small
fire boat capable of getting on scene quickly and also into smaller locations than the larger
boats may be able to. These boats are 33' SAFE boats.

BRAVO BOATS
Each also has a BRAVO boat, which is essentially the medical boat
with no major firefighting capabilities.  Boats have larger squared off bows
enabling patient movement. Boats are also about 31' SAFE Boats.

So there are a number of these smaller boats at the three sites:
 1A & 1B, 6A and 6B, 9A and 9B.

SE BOATS
The FDNY has also added a few boats, similar to the ALPHA boats
that can be used for various details, substitutions, and even the Marine Battalion's
Command boat.  They are identified as SE1, SE6, etc,.

SEASONAL BOATS
The FDNY has upgraded each of its Seasonal boats with new 33' SAFE boats
that are slightly larger and more capable than the ALPHA boats. Older small boats
that were Boston Whaler units have all been replaced.
Marine 3 serves near the Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn.
Marine 4 serves at Fort Totten in Queens.
Marine 8 serves at Great Kills Marina on Staten Island.

Each of the seasonal boats is stored at Marine Division in the winter.

There are a number of other small boats and vehicles assigned to the Marine
Division.

 

The latest FDNY Boats
Marine 6 Bravo (left) is a 31 foot Safe Boat medical response boat with wider bow.
Marine 8 (right) is an example of the new 33 foot Safe Boat fire boats assigned to the
seasonal boats and possibly to replace the Alpha boats assigned to the larger boats.
July 2012

NEW YORK CITY FIRE BOATS
There is perhaps no other city that comes to mind first when thinking about fire boats.
The Fire Department of New York City has a very long and historic history of fighting fires
on land and the sea. The city has 560 miles of waterfront and has long been one of the busiest
ports in the world.

Over the years many major historic incidents have occurred on the waters of New York
city and every one involved the response of fire boats. While many of the wharfs, warehouses,
and ships of the waterfront are no longer, the FDNY continues to respond to a wide variety
of emergencies. The September 11, 2001 World Trade Center collapse and the jet landing
in the Hudson River are but two of the more recent.

The first fire boat in the city dates back to 1875. At its height, in the early 1900's, the FDNY
Marine Division had 10 fireboat stations within the city. Budget cuts in the late 1960's and 1970's
reduced the fleet to 4 Marine Companies. Marine 1, 2, 6 and 9.
In 1992 that dropped to 3 Marine Companies with the closing of Marine 2.
The current Marine Companies 1, 6, and 9 continue to provide service.

Always some of the most powerful fireboats in the world, the fleet of the FDNY was
capable of pumping in excess of between 10,000 and 20,000 gpms.
The "Firefighter" of Marine 9 is possibly one of the most powerful and famous of all
recent boats, although each holds a special place in history.

Following 9/11, the department recognized the continued value of a fire boat fleet
and developed plans for upgrading the fleet to meet the needs of the future.
In the late 2000's, three new and powerful boats entered service.
Older boats have gone into reserve status or retirement.

Today, the FDNY operates the most modern and powerful boats in the world,
capable of pumping 50,000 gpms. In addition, they have developed boats
that are capable of higher speeds and specialized operations.

RELATED SITES
FIRE DEPARTMENT CITY OF NEW YORK
UNOFFICIAL FDNY SITE
FIREBOAT.ORG
THE BRAVEST.COM
 

YOU TUBE VIDEO OF
 FDNY MARINE CO. 9 "FIRE FIGHTER"
Added March 29, 2008

August 2017

FDNY - MARINE CO.3
 

New Marine Company 3
Brooklyn Station - Marine Company 3
Kingsborough Community College, Brooklyn
Seasonal Fireboat - 33' SAFE Boat
Approx 1000 gpm
Similar boats located in Queens and Staten Island also.

Photo Dec 2015

Marine Company 3
Brooklyn Station - Marine Company 3
Kingsborough Community College, Brooklyn
Seasonal Fireboat - 27' Boston Whaler
Similar boats located in Queens and Staten Island also.

Replaced by SAFE Boat

Marine Company 3
Brooklyn

FDNY - MARINE CO.4

Marine Company 4
Queens Station - Fort Totten -  Marine Company 4
33' SAFE Boat with triple outboards.
Approx 1000 gpm.
Seasonal Boat.
Photo Aug 2017
 

Marine Company 4
Queens Station - Fort Totten -  Marine Company 4
Small boat similar to Marine 3 and 8
(Photo courtesy John Landers)

Replaced by Safe Boat.

FDNY SMALL BOATS MARINE CO.6
 

Small Boat at Marine Company 6

Marine Company 6 Bravo
Brooklyn Station - Marine Division -  Marine Company 6

FDNY NEW - MARINE CO.8
 

Marine Company 8
Staten Island Station - Great Kills Marina -  Marine Company 8
2012 33 foot Safe Boat fast fire boat.
Protecting the south shore of Staten Island, Marine 8 is one of the staffed
"seasonal" boats.
Similar boats are expected at Marine 3 and 4.

The advantage of the smaller, fast boats of the modern FDNY is clearly their speed
and ability to reach areas that the larger boats may not be able to.

Marine 8
shown at the safe harbor of Marine Company 9
March 2015

Marine 8 out of the water for winter at Marine Division - Dec 2015

Marine 9 - Bravo
The medical response boat at Marine Co. 9
March 2015

Marine 9 - Bravo and Marine 8
Verrazano Bridge in background
March 2015

Older Marine 8 is a Boston Whaler.
Shown at Marine 9 in July 2012.

FDNY - MARINE SE6
 

Marine SE-6 is a 33' SAFE Boat that serves as Marine Division Battalion.
Similar boats serve as spares or for special details.

Marine SE-1

Small boats stored in rack system at Marine Division - Dec 2015

Utility boat used by mechanics

          FOR MORE ON THE HARVEY AND FDNY FIREBOATS           
WWW.FIREBOAT.ORG
Find out how you can support the preservation of this great vessel
and maybe take a ride on her!.

Updated May 3, 2019

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Copyright
Britt Crosby
CapeCodFD