The 28-foot vessel will serve on Big Bear Lake in the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains.
SUPERIOR, Wis. (Aug 11, 2020) – Lake Assault Boats, a leading manufacturer of purpose-built and mission-specific fire and rescue boats, has delivered its third fire and rescue boat to the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District (SBCFPD) in California. The 28-foot long vessel is serving on California’s Big Bear Lake, and is similar to one stationed in Needles, California on the Colorado River.
“We’re thrilled to deliver and place into service a third fire and rescue craft to the San Bernardino County Fire District,” said Chad DuMars, Lake Assault Boats vice president of operations. “Like our other Lake Assault Boats units in service with SBCFD, this new craft is equipped to handle a wide range of emergency scenarios, and is outfitted with particular features for a high altitude lake.”
Big Bear Lake is situated at over 6,700 feet above sea level. “Because of Big Bear’s elevation, we’ve added a fully-enclosed pilothouse and a reinforced hull that will enable us to push through ice in emergency situations,” explained Brian Wells, an SBCFPD Engineer. “This new craft has all of the capabilities of our other Lake Assault Boats vessels that are performing at a very high level.”
The fireboat is outfitted with twin 350 hp Mercury Verado outboard engines controlled through the one-touch Skyhook Digital Anchor and Joystick Piloting systems. A 1500 gpm Darley pump (powered by a dedicated V-8 engine) along with a TFT monitor and three discharge ports comprise the heart of its firefighting capabilities. A 63-inch hydraulically operated bow door (with an integrated ladder), dual dive doors, a davit crane with twin socket locations, and a fully enclosed pilothouse provide protection from the elements.
The onboard electronics include dual 12-inch touchscreens mounted on the dash, Garmin radar and sonar with SideVu and DownVu, chart plotting, and a forward looking infrared (FLIR) system. Lake Assault Boats provided three days of on-the-water orientation ahead of the boats being put into service.
“Lake Assault Boats is our vendor of choice and we’re very pleased with the design, build quality, and support we receive from their entire team,” added Wells. “We continue to refine the specs to meet the growing needs of our department’s on-the-water response capabilities in San Bernardino County.”
Photo Caption: Lake Assault Boats has placed Fireboat 96 into service with the San Bernardino County Fire District (SBCFPD) in California. The 28-foot long vessel serves on California’s Big Bear Lake, and is similar to one stationed on the Colorado River. (The massive Apple Fire is seen on the horizon. Photo courtesy of SBCFPD’s Johnathan Duarte.)
ABOUT SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT
San Bernardino County – at 20,160 square miles – is the largest county in the continental U.S. The county features a population of over 2.2 million residents and encompasses extremely diverse environments that stretch from Los Angeles County on the west, to the Colorado River on the east, to the Nevada state line and Kern and Inyo counties to the north. County Fire protects more than 60 communities, including the cities of Needles, Fontana, Grand Terrace, Victorville, Hesperia, Yucca Valley, and Adelanto. The department has 81 different facilities, 1,200 employees, and hosts the California Urban Search and Rescue Team.
The San Bernardino County Fire Department is an all-risk/full-service fire department committed to providing the highest level of service in the most efficient and cost-effective manner to the citizens and communities that we serve. Our jurisdiction encompasses 19,278 square miles of extremely diverse environments that stretch from the Los Angeles County line on the west, to the Colorado River on the east, to the Nevada State line and Kern and Inyo counties on the north. We provide services to more than 60 communities/cities and all unincorporated areas of the county.