Moose Boats Awarded Fire Boat Contract

PETALUMA, Calif. – September 23, 2008 – Moose Boats, a boat designer and manufacturer in Petaluma, California has been awarded a contract by the Lewes Fire Department (LFD) to build a 44’ Catamaran Fire Rescue Boat. The custom M1-44 vessel will be exhibited prior to delivery to Lewes, Delaware at the 2008 International Workboat Show in New Orleans, December 3rd-5th.

LFD awarded the contract to Moose Boats in April 2008 largely due to the builder’s reputation within the commercial marine industry for building quality boats. According to the chair of LFD’s boat selection committee, Tim McClanahan:

“A catamaran hull is more stable as a rescue boat. Everyone thinks of a fire boat, but we think we’ll have a rescue boat with firefighting capabilities,” McClanahan said. “We’ll be able to see someone in the water up to 1,000 feet away without actually being able to see them,” McClanahan said. He said the infrared (IR) camera is an indispensable tool for spotting someone at night in rough ocean surf.

This vessel has a pumping capacity of over 1000 GPM and powerful lighting to facilitate night operations. An M1-44 model can accommodate two patients requiring backboards, a crew of up to eight and would be operated from a center-positioned console, giving the helmsman an unobstructed view aft. In addition to VHF marine radios, depth sounders and 800 MHz fire radios, the vessel will be equipped with a thermal imaging IR camera, which would give rescuers the ability to see an individual’s heat signature in zero-visibility conditions.

Moose Boats has been building custom fire boats with unique hydraulically driven fire fighting systems for over three years. The fire pump which is driven by PTOs from the vessel’s two main engines allows no loss of maneuverability at low speed, while pumping water to its two fire monitors. Combined with a catamaran hull and water-jet propulsion, the M1-44 is ideal for fire-and-rescue applications in shallow water.

About Moose Boats
Moose Boats, headquartered in Petaluma, California, designs and builds unique, functional, good looking, rugged boats for a wide range of customers including commercial and military applications as well as for recreational use. Moose Boats is currently under contract to supply 12 Navy patrol boats in additional to several fire-and rescue-vessels for multiple law enforcement agencies. These are Serious – No Nonsense Boats with an emphasis on safety, efficiency and performance. For more information, please visit the Website at: www.mooseboats.com, or call 866-GO-MOOSE (466-6673).