Maritime Incident Response Team

The City of Portsmouth is largely defined by the waterways of the Chesapeake Bay.  Our citizens utilize the waters for recreation, commerce, transportation and industry.  PFRES has developed several significant capabilities in order to be efficient in protecting those on and around our waterways.

Fire Boat 1 is a fully-capable platform for fighting fires on boats, ships or in facilities adjacent to the water.  She is also outfitted for water rescue incidents, side-scan sonar searches and can supply firefighting water to land-based engines.  When deployed, she is crewed by a fully equipped advanced life support crew that can effectively respond to any medical emergency.  Her crew coordinates with the Heavy Technical Rescue Team for responses to shipboard technical rescue events

Fire Boat 2 is a light duty vessel that also has the capability to fight fire on or near the water.  She additionally has the equipment to perform water rescues as well as other waterborne incidents.  Requiring less depth to operate in, she has the ability access areas that Fire Boat 1 cannot.

PFRES also hosts a component of the Virginia Port Authority Regional Maritime Incident Response Team.  Members of the team are tasked by the Port Authority to respond to large incidents involving commercial shipping or Hampton Roads port facilities.  In addition to specialized training in shipboard operations, the team can deploy large portable independently-powered industrial pumps for firefighting or dewatering operations on commercial vessels.

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