The Los Angeles Fire Department protects the Los Angeles and Long Beach harbors. One the newest boats in the fleet is the 105-foot “Warner L. Lawrence,” which was specified to replace an older vessel as well as to handle an increasing volume of oil tanker traffic in the busy port. It was designed by Robert Allan Ltd. of Vancouver, B.C., and built by Nichols Brothers Boat Builders of Freeland, Wash. Below decks, it has two pumps with a total capacity of 38,000 gpm and a tank with 6,000 gallons of foam concentrate. The superstructure is equipped with a 50-foot telescoping boom and multiple master stream monitors. Two propulsion engines give it a top speed of 13 knots. Special features include underwater cameras, a close-quarters maneuvering system and an enclosed area to treat injured persons and those suffering from hypothermia.

In southern Nevada, the Henderson Fire Department operates a 28-foot Harbor Guard fire and rescue boat to protect the Lake Las Vegas resort area. The popular lake is surrounded by hotels, casinos and residential condominiums — some extending close to the water's edge. The boat is powered by a jet propulsion drive system and is equipped with a navigation and global positioning system. A separate engine-driven pump delivers up to 500 gpm through a remote-control monitor or two gated discharges at the bow.

The New York City Fire Department needed a fire/rescue boat to respond year-round to water-rescue calls and to handle fire calls in areas where shallow water would restrict other vessels. Boston Whaler built a 27-foot boat designed to handle both fires and a variety of rescue and emergency medical calls within a large area. The smaller boat is staffed by the assigned crew of the department's main fire boat and has a top speed of about 35 knots to get to the scene quickly. A separate engine-driven pump can deliver 750 gpm through a bow monitor or several discharges.

The District of Columbia Fire Rescue operates a 30-foot MetalCraft Marine fire/rescue boat equipped with two propulsion engines powering a jet propulsion drive system that give it a top speed of over 35 knots. One of the engines also can be used to power a 1,500-gpm pump for firefighting. The craft has three remote-control monitors, including one on top of the pilothouse and two on the bow, as well as several discharges for handlines and supply hose. The department also has a large fireboat in service, and both boats generally respond to incidents together with the smaller, faster boat making the initial attack.

Los Angeles City

• Nichols Brothers 105-foot fireboat
• Two Detroit Diesel 1,800-hp propulsion engines
• 38,000-gpm total pumping capacity
• 6,000-gallon Class B foam-concentrate tank
• North American Crane 50-foot telescoping boom
• Multiple manual and remote-control monitors

Henderson

• Harbor Guard 28-foot fire/rescue boat
• Yanmar 315-hp propulsion engine
• Darley 500-gpm engine-driven pump
• Remote-control monitor
• Command Light 3-kw light tower

New York City

• Boston Whaler 27-foot fire/rescue boat
• Two Yamaha 250-hp outboard motors
• Darley 750-gpm engine-driven pump
• Manual-control monitor
• 7.3-kw generator

District of Columbia

• MetalCraft Marine 30-foot fire/rescue boat
• Two Cummins 380-hp propulsion engines
• 1,500-gpm pump driven off the starboard engine
• Three remote-control monitors
• Heated and air-conditioned cabin