On September 11, 2010 the FDNY rolled out its newest fireboat, dubbed 343 in honor of the number of firefighters lost on 9/11. But the Daily News reports that since then things have not been smooth sailing for the ship and its sister, Firefighter II. The boats have been beset by problems and the 343 has already had to be dry docked for repairs.
"The thing is more trouble than it's worth," one source told the tabloid. "No one is saying the thing is a lemon, but it clearly wasn't ready when they brought it out last fall." Technical difficulties that have troubled the ship include malfunctioning water pumps, intercoms and cameras. The identical 500-ton boats are supposed to be able to produce streams of 50,000 gallons water per minute, but pump problems have "frequently reduced that capacity."
In April, the 343 spent two weeks on land being serviced, which the FDNY says really isn't an issue. Instead they say the boat is performing well, pointing out that the pair prototypes designed for the city and have passed their inspections every time. The stint on the dry dock occurred only because the boat is still under warranty and needed some maintenance and a paint job. And anyway, while it was away older fireboats were called back into service.
Our favorite fireboat remains the decommissioned little fireboat that could, the John J. Harvey.
Meanwhile, the two new fireboats, bought mostly with Homeland Security money, aren't the only federally-funded ships sailing by our shores. The NYPD's upcoming bullet-proof boat (which hopefully won't be as glitch-prone) is being purchased with FEMA funds.
