The super soaker: Woodbridge Fire District launches newest rescue boat
Jun. 22—The newest addition to the Woodbridge Fire District has arrived and is ready to be called to action.
The district announced this week that its custom-built M3 Monohull fire and rescue boat was berthed at the Tower Park Marina after crews traveled to Vallejo to bring it home.
Built by Moose Boats, LLC, the boat is powered by twin 300 HP Mercury engines and is equipped with a fire pump that powered by a Volvo Penta 350 capable of delivering 1,500 gallons of water per minute.
"Our new fire/rescue boat will strengthen our commitment to providing the highest level of service to the residents of our district and those who visit the San Joaquin Delta," Woodbridge fire chief Darin Downey said. "The Moose Boat is also equipped with radar, GPS, a depth sounder and a FLIR (forward-looking infra-red) camera that will be used to enhance our night vision."
The craft will primarily serve the San Joaquin Delta north of the San Joaquin River and provide mutual aid to other fire agencies.
Downey said the Monohull will replace the district's current boat, which has outlived its purpose.
"The old boat went out of service," he said. "The motor was so old we couldn't get parts for it, and it just didn't make sense to try to find parts for an old vessel."
The district was able to purchase the Monohull thanks to American Rescue Plan Act funding in the amount of $737,000 from the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors.
"This truly demonstrates the commitment supervisors have towards public safety in our county," Downey said, noting the district responds to about 60 calls on the Delta each year.
In addition to responding to
emergencies, the district uses the boat to take observers out to damaged areas in the Delta, he said.
"We respond to boating accidents, rescue calls," he said. "A lot of times on the Delta, if something happens to a boat's operator, the other people on board are lost and don't know what to do. So they'll make an emergency call and we'll try to locate their boat with cell phone pings and go out to help them."
Downey added that a lot of the constituents the district serves are only accessible by boat, so purchasing the Monohull was much needed to continue promoting public safety.
San Joaquin County Offices of Emergency Services also support of the district's request for the ARPA funds for the new boat, he said.
The district consists of four stations that respond to fire, rescue, flood, HAZ-MAT and emergency medical services incidents to the communities of Woodbridge, Acampo, Forest Lake, Flag City, and Terminous, as well as unincorporated areas of Lodi and northwest Stockton.
It also provides services to some 500 linear miles of the Delta, including the San Joaquin River and many of the sloughs and marinas between Stockton and the north end of Staten Island.
For more information about the Woodbridge Fire District, visit woodbridgefire.org.
