We've been telling you about a new rescue boat the Pasco Fire Department has been waiting for. Well, they finally have it!
Firefighters are calling the boat the sports car of rescue boats. And it's the first of it's kind in our region.
The much anticipated water rescue boat is finally in the hands of Pasco Firefighters. This is the first time a fire department in our area has a rescue boat of any kind, let alone one with the capabilities this one has.
"It's like a sports car on the water," Assistant Pasco Fire Chief Dave Hare said. "I can do a complete 360 pivot within the footprint. It can go from top speed to a complete stop in 2 boat links."
And that top speed is fast, 47 miles-per-hour. The boat also has a water cannon on the front that can shoot 125 gallons of water per minute.
Firefighters hope to use the boat to access hard to reach fires near the river's edge to stop the flames before they get out of hand. And firefighters say it'll only take 10 minutes from a 9-1-1 call until they have the boat in the water.
But the boat's main purpose will be water rescues. A service hare says will be very useful in the summer months.
"The idea behind the boat was to provide an all hazard response to the community," Hare said. "Not just Pasco but the entire Tri-Cities. We're essentially a water based community. We've got great natural resources with the Columbia, the Snake and the Yakima River. we've got a lot of boaters, a lot of swimmers. A lot of people who really enjoy using the water."
The boat cost the fire department just over $100,000. Some equipment is still being set up before the boat can be 100% ready to go.