During the past several years, we have seen an abundance of new, specialized vehicles manufactured for the fire service. Most of the recent vehicles are hazmat units, technical-rescue units and command units for homeland security. But some fire departments require even more specialized apparatus. Fire departments that serve communities surrounded by water or protect a large stretch of waterfront property often operate water- or dive-rescue teams. Along with this added responsibility comes the need to transport specialized equipment and specially trained firefighters to water-based incidents.
One such department: the Bayport (N.Y.) Fire Department (BFD), located on the south shore of Long Island. The department was created on Aug. 15, 1891, with 18 members, under the name Bayport Hose Company. In 1896, after purchasing a ladder truck, it became the BFD.
Bayport is located on the Great South Bay, on the southern coast of Long Island. The area is primarily a bedroom community with a sampling of strip malls, schools, apartments and condominium complexes; it also features a large waterfront area with large dwellings and recreational boat docks.
The BFD is composed of roughly 170 members organized in four companies: the Hose Company, the Hook and Ladder Company, the Engine Company and the Fire Police. The department also staffs a rescue squad and a water-rescue squad.
Increasing Incidents
The BFD’s water-rescue squad was formed in 1991 with combined members of the other companies who had an interest in rescue diving. At first, the squad mainly concentrated on subsurface rescues based on recreational diving adapted to rescue.
After the team grew to be one of the largest in Suffolk County (based on number of certified divers), the fire district purchased a 19′ Zodiac boat in 2000 to supplement its smaller 10′ Avon boat. However, due to the increasing amount of water-rescue alarms-from 2-3 per year in the early 1990s to 30-40 per year in 2004-the squad was forced to reorganize. Squad members accordingly gained nationally recognized certifications in public safety diving, surface rescue and ice rescue.
The increased training brought increased equipment needs. The squad had previously used a converted ambulance for transport, but it decided to form a committee to design a custom apparatus to meet its needs. “We wanted to start with a clean sheet of paper and design a vehicle that would be specific to our needs,” says Captain Jeff Saperstein, commander of the water-rescue squad. “The vehicle had to be able to carry all of our specialized equipment, be somewhat of a command vehicle for dive-rescue incidents and also enable our members to gear up in the back safely while responding.”
Equipped & Ready
The planning took approximately 3 àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚ƒàƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚ƒàƒ‚à‚‚àƒƒà‚‚àƒ‚à‚« years, but was worth it. After a competitive bidding process, the committee chose Marion to build a custom water-rescue truck. “They met all of our specs,” Saperstein says. “We wanted an aluminum body [with] washout compartments that will enable us to clean and wash the compartments and drain out seawater after use.” The compartments feature drains and vents to aid in the cleaning process.
Also on board: a 25-gallon freshwater tank for use in decontaminating gear and equipment, a built-in air compressor, front and rear winches, front and rear air outlets and a command center inside the vehicle. The truck also sports “super single wheels” that enable it to operate in just about any type of terrain without the possibility of a blowout.
“The vehicle turned out really well,” Saperstein says. “We now have compartments that were designed specifically to hold the different types of equipment we need to perform at various incidents. The truck can operate on the beach, on gravel and [on] other soft terrain and still carry a vast amount of gear.”
The truck’s interior command center gives the BFD interoperability with any department on the south shore of Long Island that has a dive team, including Suffolk and Nassau County Fire Communications, local fire departments and the Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau. The truck sports one low-band radio, one high-band radio, one marine band VHF radio with GPS, a UHF radio and an 800-MHz scanner.
“We have used the vehicle several times at actual alarms and during our training drills and it has worked well,” Saperstein says. “We had some minor warranty problems with it when we first received it, but the local dealer and Marion worked out the bugs to our satisfaction.”
Special Vehicles for Special Needs
The BFD’s water-rescue truck is an excellent example of designing apparatus for a specific type of rescue work. While some departments include water-rescue equipment on their existing heavy-rescue trucks, the BFD proactively decided the community’s geography warranted a separate special vehicle. If your community has a similar special need, work with your apparatus design committee and apparatus manufacturer engineers to create the specs.
BFD’s Dive Squad
- 12-14 members certified as Public SafetyDivers
- 1 Dive Coordinator
- 3-4 Dive Master Instructors
- 4 Advanced Divers
Deep See
A close-up look at the Bayport Fire Department’s new water-rescue truck
Vehicle Specs
- 2006 Ford F-550 on a 4 x 4 chassis
- 17,500-lb. gross vehicle weight
- Ford 7.3-liter Powerstroke diesel engine
- 12′ aluminum body
- Washout compartments with drains and vents
- Super single wheels
- Code 3 LED lighting package
- Rear walk-in seating for 7
- Front and rear winches
- Front and rear air inlets
- 3 telescopic Fire Research quartz lights
- Remote spotlight
- Retractable awning
Equipment Carried
- 1 portable 8.0-hp motor for a roof-mounted boat
- 2 sets of sport diving gear
- Integrated weight belts
- 4 sets of lifeguard public safety dive gear with positive pressure masks and redundant air systems
- 2 ice-rescue boards
- Trauma and first-aid kits
- 8 spare air bottles
- 4 Viking dry suits
- 4 ice-rescue suits
- Ice rescue deploy lines
- 4 swiftwater personal floatation devices
- 10 sets of fins, masks and gloves
- Related ice-rescue tools and rescue harnesses
- Various types and sizes of rope
