By Ann S. Kim
The Portland Press Herald
PORTLAND, Maine — Tom Kane has been waiting to see the city’s new fireboat for a long time.
In 1987, Kane was part of the original committee working to get the fire department a replacement boat. On Sunday, he and other retired firefighters were on hand as the MV City of Portland IV arrived at the waterfront.
''Nice. I think it’s going to do it,’' Kane said.
The 65-foot fireboat is replacing the 50-year-old MV City of Portland III, as originally intended in the 1980s. Funding issues helped derail plans then, and it wasn’t until 2002 that the effort resumed in earnest, said Fire Chief Fred LaMontagne.
The new fireboat combines more advanced fire-suppression capabilities and emergency medical services in a faster package. With a cruising speed of 17 knots, compared with its predecessor’s 9 knots, it will be quicker at handling emergency medical calls from nearby islands.
The department has been relying on the 44-foot Cavallaro as its fast rescue boat. The Cavallaro, however, does not have fire-suppression capabilities. Commissioned in 1993, it will continue to be used as backup.
''They did each job tremendously,’' Capt. David Pendleton said of the two older boats. ''But they couldn’t do both.’'
The new fireboat cost $3.2 million, with $1 million coming from a U.S. Department of Homeland Security allocation, $450,000 from a federal port security grant and the remaining $1.75 million spread over several city budgets.
The vessel was built in Nova Scotia at the A.F. Theriault & Sons shipyard. No boatyards in New England submitted bids for the project.
On Sunday, the boat completed its voyage from Canada. As it made its way through Casco Bay, it sprayed its water guns in greeting to island residents, and at times showed off its maneuverability.
Off Fort Gorges, it met up with the MV City of Portland III and the Cavallaro as people in other boats stopped to watched the spectacle.
The fireboats saluted each other with plumes of red, white and blue water. They then went bow-to-bow in a ''kiss,’' the older boat showing its age with its rust stains and dings and the replacement looking sleek and bright through the fog.
The new fireboat is more maneuverable, with more guns to put water on a fire and a more sophisticated foam system, LaMontagne said. The previous fireboat could only dispense the type of foam used for fires involving spills of oil and other flammable liquids, he said. The new, automated system has that ability and also dispenses foam that can attach itself to objects to fight deep-seated fires, such as those that burrow into pier pilings.
The dedicated medical bay was designed to resemble the back of an ambulance. The old boat had its medical bay in what was formerly the kitchen.
''It still has that new-car smell,’' Mayor Jill Duson said as she and others toured the boat.
There will be a transition period as fire department personnel are trained to use the new boat. After that, it’s not clear what will happen to the MV City of Portland III. It remains an object of fondness for many on the waterfront, despite having exceeded its service life.
''It’s been a good boat, though,’' said Coley Mulkern, who operates a ferry service. ''It’s saved a lot of lives.’'
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