MetalCraft Marine

Here's a great news story about how Tampa Fire & Rescue's FireStorm 69, The Patriot, was pivotal in extinguishing a raging fire in a conveyor system at the Port of Tampa.

Quoting Fox-News Channel 13:

The firefighters on the dock were having a difficult time getting the blaze under control, Captain Bill Wade told FOX 13, and using the vessel on the water side made it possible to attack the flames from two different angles.

"With this vessel, the way that it's built, it's set up not only as a fire fighting vessel but also as a command and control vessel," Wade said. "The firefighters on this vessel had the ability to see what's going on with this ship that is burning, they can control the situation from their side and make sure that fire crews are acting safely, because fighting a ship is much different than fighting a fire in a building."

There is one hose on the top of the Patriot, along with two in front and two at the back of the vessel. They can pump a total of 13,500 gallons of water per minute. Captain Wade says that is about the equivalent of nine fire trucks.

Two videos of the incident. The first from Fox News , the second from Tampa Fire Rescue .

It's clear from these videos that water-side access can be much more flexible and effective in fighting fires in-port. Note how constrained the land-side firetrucks appear to be in this instance.