The Vancouver Fire Department and Clark County Fire & Rescue are one step closer to getting new boats to help with emergency responses on the Columbia River, thanks to a federal grant.
The U.S. Coast Guard awarded a $2.7 million grant to purchase three new boats to be stationed along the lower Columbia. Two will be stationed in Clark County; the third will go to the Astoria, Ore., Fire Department. The boats, called Quick Response Vehicles, should improve the ability to respond to medical emergencies on the water, transport multiple patients and deploy more trained responders, according to a City of Vancouver press release.
If FEMA gives the final approval, Vancouver will list the requirements for what will be about a 45-foot boat. Ship-builders would then get to bid on the project, said Division Chief Steve Eldred, head of emergency services for the Vancouver Fire Department.
Proposed capacity
Eldred said the size of the boat would depend on bids, but it should be about twice as big as the department’s current boat, which was bought on surplus eight years ago and is meant to carry only two passengers. The new boat would have more room for patients and crew, a water pump to fight fires from the water, and the power to go faster, Eldred said.
