Dedication of Fire Rescue Boat Miss Linda 2 May 24, 2019
Marine Emergency Team 21 (Facebook), an operational division of Community Volunteer Fire Department of Bowleys Quarters (Facebook) located East of Baltimore, Maryland, dedicated and placed into service a new fire and rescue boat.
The old fire rescue boat, the Miss Linda, was a converted pleasure boat. It had reached the end of its service life and was suffering regular mechanical failures. A catastrophic failure permanently placed this boat out of service in November of 2018. MET21 did not wait until this moment to begin looking for a replacement and had been looking at replacement options for some time.
Team leaders met with Silver Ships (Facebook) in 2016 at the International Workboat Show which is held in New Orleans, LA and discussed the fire rescue boat mission requirements. The result of that meeting was the construction of an Ambar 800 RHIB which Silver Ships then used as a demonstrator at fire and rescue shows across the country.
Fundraising for this $300,000 boat would be a challenge for any organization. Fortunately Silver Ships provided a head start with a $49,000 discount. Additional funds came from two state grants, capital improvement funds from the fire department, and a fundraising campaign.
Shannon Stallings of Marine Emergency Team 21 led an emotional and heartfelt thank you to the various people who through their efforts or direct giving helped to achieve the purchase of this badly needed boat. The boat was then dedicated with the traditional breaking of champagne and then placed into service by radio.
The Miss Linda 2 will help increase the MET21’s response time in their 90 square mile coverage area of the upper Chesapeake Bay and brings new fire and rescue capabilities to their arsenal.
Boat specifics from the MET21’s Facebook page:
This state of the art vessel Is powered by twin 250 horsepower Evinrude G2 outboard engines capable of reaching speeds of 51 miles per hour. The fully integrated electronics including Raymarine Chart Plotters, 24 mile radar, 360 degree structure scan sonar, FLIR Systems night vision thermal imaging camera weather reporting, and fully integrated Raymarine UAV Drone piloting thus changing the future of search and rescue missions. The Onboard fire pump is powered by a Fly Rotax small aircraft engine and can flow near 700 gallons per minute. A foam exitinguishing agent eduction system boost the effectiveness of fighting fuel and hydrocarbon fires on the water.
The Vessel will be stocked full of basic life support equipment, and can transport up to six (6) victims including (2) full spinal immobilized patients.
Click here to see more photos I took during the dedication!