Biloxi’s new fireboat nears completion

The Biloxi Fire Department is looking forward to a serious upgrade in their marine response department as completion nears on an all new fireboat.
The 33 foot long aluminum boat is being constructed in Oregon. It is equipped with two hose nozzles and a 1,500 galloon per minute pump which is larger than the 1,250 gallon per minute pups in the city’s fire trucks.
The boat can utilize the water it floats in as an unlimited water supply and the fire department’s specially trained crew will be able to deploy the new boat for response in less than 30 seconds. Biloxi Fire Chief Joe Boney said, “We actually have a crew that is dedicated to the fireboat now and they will be the same crew. They actually have captain’s licenses to be able to operate large boats. They’re all stationed at station two down on the point down here and when we have a call for the boat they are toned out just like any other station and they respond to the boat and deploy it.”
Chief Boney tells News 25 that the finished vessel should be arriving in Biloxi sometime in April.