Fireboats in Norfolk, Virginia
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In 1924 Norfolk, Virginia commissioned the first of a number of fireboats in Norfolk, Virginia.[1] She was a former US Navy vessel, the USS 'Gen. Harvey H. Brown, christened the Vulcan. The Vulcan was a steam-powered vessel, requiring a crew of 18. She could project 6000 USgal (Expression error: Missing operand for round. l) per minute. She served until 1941.
In 2008, when the Vulcan II was acquired, Norfolk's only vessel was 22 ft (6.71 m) inflatable craft.[1] The Vulcan II could project 2500 USgal (Expression error: Missing operand for round. l) per minute.
In 2013 she was supplemented by the Thomas Kevill.[2][3] She cost about half a million dollars, three quarters of which were provided through a FEMA Port Security Grant. Like other fireboats funded by FEMA, in addition to fighting fires, and search and rescue, she is sealed so she can provide a front-line response to chemical spills or attacks by chemical weapons, and to biological or radiological threats. She has advanced sensors, including infrared sensors that aid in locating a fire's hot-spots, and to picking out the heads of distressed boaters or swimmers, in the dark or under conditions of blinding fog or smoke.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Patrick Wilson. What's in a name? - Norfolk Fire-Rescue Vulcan II, Virginia Pilot, 2012-04-02. Retrieved on 2019-09-10.
- ↑ Steve Earley. Photos: Norfolk commissions new fireboat, Virginia Pilot, 2013-06-22. Retrieved on 2019-09-10.
- ↑ Roy Bahls. Norfolk's newest fireboat named for city's first fire chief, Virginia Pilot, 2013-06-23. Retrieved on 2019-09-10.