Marine Program

The Leschi joined the fireboat fleet in April 2007 as the primary saltwater firefighting vessel.

Background

The Marine program has added two new fireboats to the firefighting fleet. The new boats increase the ability of the Seattle Fire Department to respond with greater power, speed, and pumping capacity. Together, the boats will provide greater safety on the water by getting firefighters to fire and water rescues faster. All of the fireboats are designed to respond on both salt and fresh water around Seattle.

The new fireboats include:

• the Leschi, built in 2007 -- a 108-foot fireboat docked on Elliott Bay. It can fight fires with 22,000 gallons of water per minute and travel at 14 knots. The Leschi has replaced the Chief Seattle as the City's primary saltwater firefighting vessel. The boat is stationed at Fire Station 5 on Elliott Bay.



• Engine One, built in 2006 -- a 50-foot fast attack fireboat, with the capacity to pump 5,000 -- 6,000 gallons of water per minute and a top speed of 30.5 knots. Engine One is currently stationed at Fishermen's Terminal. It will move to Elliott Bay during the planned retrofit of the Chief Seattle.

In addition to fire suppression, the newest additions to the fleet accommodate Emergency Medical Service, rescue and salvage in toxic environments, and have the ability to pump water for land-based firefighting if water mains break during earthquakes or other disasters.

The last element of the Marine program is the retrofit of the Chief Seattle. This 97-foot boat was built in 1983 and is now docked on Elliott Bay. Once upgraded, the boat is expected to have systems, engines, and pumps that enable the vessel to pump 10,000 gallons of water per minute and travel at a top speed of 16 to 17 knots. After the retrofit, the Chief Seattle will replace the Alki as the City's primary freshwater fireboat. The overhaul should extend the Chief Seattle's service life by 20 years. The Alki, built in 1928, will then be retired from City service.