THE Metropolitan Fire Brigade has unveiled its new boat for fighting offshore fires around Hobsons Bay more than two years after securing $9.8 million to address a dangerous shortfall in marine protection.
Fairfax Media reported in January last year that billions of dollars worth of private and commercial vessels that used Port Phillip Bay and the city’s rivers were virtually unprotected in the event of a large fire.
More than 100,000 hectares of port waters — including the shipping channels from the mouths of the Yarra and Maribyrnong rivers to outside the bay — relied for their fire protection on two four-metre aluminium boats fitted with petrol-powered pump hoses, and two inflatable dinghies.
But the new vessel, called Fireboat 1, was unveiled by acting Premier Peter Ryan and MFB chief executive Nick Easy at North Wharf at Docklands, near the scene of a fire which highlighted the MFB’s lack of resources last March.
Then, a 20-metre luxury cabin cruiser erupted in flames at the Yarra’s Edge marina and sent a plume of toxic smoke across the city as it was battled by firefighters in a four-metre tinnie with a 200-litre pump.
Fireboat 1, a 10.5-metre Promarine aluminium boat, is moored at North Wharf.
West Melbourne firefighters will respond to marine calls.
Mr Ryan said the boat had a pump capacity of 2200 litres a minute and its equipment could be controlled remotely to enable firefighters to be protected from heat.
