The navigational instruments said they were in the middle of the channel.
Then they ran aground on a beach near St. Augustine at 11 p.m. Wednesday.
The new $3.8 million, 69-foot-long Tampa Fire Boat Patriot suffered no damage, said Capt. Bill Wade, a spokesman for Tampa Fire Rescue.
"The boat came to a sudden stop," said Wade, who added there were no injuries. "It was pretty obvious what had happened. We had run aground somewhere."
Wade and the crew of seven stayed on the boat throughout the night until a tugboat arrived at noon Thursday. The tugboat pulled the boat off the sand and the vessel went on its own to a nearby marina to get checked out, Wade said.
Wade said that residents told them that about a dozen boats have run aground this year at the same location.
Along with Wade, the crew on the boat includes two Tampa firefighters, a fire department mechanic and three staff members from Metalcraft Marine, who built the vessel, Wade said.
They anticipated arriving at Cape Canaveral at 5 p.m. Thursday and hoped to arrive at noon Monday at Davis Islands.
The new boat, which was bought by a federal government grant, is needed to allow firefighters to work quickly, safely and be responsive to the large number of cargo ships and passenger vessels that travel daily to and from the Port of Tampa, Wade said.
The fire department has two boats now. One is 27 feet and the other is 30 feet, Wade said.
The new vessel has sonar equipment that maps the water column underneath and can refill scuba diving tanks on board.
It has multiple hose connections to fight fires. It can pump water equivalent to a dozen fire trucks, pumping about 13,000 gallons of water a minute, Wade said.
He said they will use the boat from the Port of Tampa and Port of Manatee to past the Sunshine Skyway bridge.
The boat began its voyage on Sept. 11 from Kingston, Ontario, where it was built by Metalcraft Marine.
A boat captain from the company was piloting the boat when it ran aground. Metalcraft was responsible for covering the costs of freeing the boat.
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The navigation system siad they were in the channel. They didn't bother to look out the window and see the big beach in front of them? This is a joke right?
ReplyDeleteWow, it sounds like they really needed this boat. All of those ports and ships to protect. It is good that Salisbury is getting one, just in case we become a large port like Tampa etc,etc,etc.
ReplyDeleteWhat a bunch of idiots...glad I don't live in Tampa these fools would fight a fire inside the fire. Like someone mentioned above..no one thought to look out the window...@#$% fools!
ReplyDeleteThats what 50k in training gets you...LOL
Right Right no one needs a fire boat. Hell we should sell all the equipment and go back to hand drawn hose carts and leather buckets. It will also be mandated the each residence is required to stand fire watch and should the alarm (using a clacker) in the event of a fire. At some point if the council ladies feel it it ok we may be able to upgrade to horse drawn steamers.
ReplyDeletethey should have applied for a grant to get the boat free from the sand. you will probably see worse from the new fireboat in salisbury. iam constantly amazed by the stupidity displayed by our city council.(not all, just the majority). again the gummit buys something not even made in the u.s. oh well what do i know. thanks sjd
ReplyDeleteDid you all not catch the part where this took place at 11pm at NIGHT. Might be a bit harder to see the shoreline when its the middle of the night, hence using navigation systems to guide the way.
ReplyDeleteAre these guys from Salisbury, MD?
ReplyDeleteI see all these comments about "they" and about "the firemen."
ReplyDeleteDid anyone pay attention to the fact that it was the boat captain from the company that made that boat who was piloting it when it ran aground?
This had nothing to do with the firemen, it was a boat captain error. And the company he works for will pay for any damages.
Post shows quality of the company, the equipment they sell, and there staff.
ReplyDeleteNow Salisbury is planning on getting there boat from this CANADIAN company.