USA: Jensen Maritime to Design ‘Super Pumper’ Fireboat for SFFD

Jensen Maritime Consultants, Inc., a Crowley company, has been chosen to design a custom “super pumper” fireboat to enhance the City of San Francisco Fire Department’s (SFFD) marine fire fighting and response capabilities on water.

This high-volume water and foam pumping NFPA Type II fireboat will feature six fire monitors and 26 manifold valves, allowing for more than 16,000 gallons of water and/or fire-fighting foam per minute to be thrown from a distance of 300 feet to extinguish flames quickly and safely. Typically NFPA Type II fireboats are equipped with four fire monitors and eight manifold valves, and can pump 10,000 gallons per minute.

The availability of so many monitors and valves means that the fireboat will be equipped to provide water directly from the bay or ocean should shoreside fire mains be damaged by an earthquake.

Meeting NFPA standards, Jensen will design the boat primarily for high-volume water pumping, firefighting, rescue, emergency medical service and patrol in the waters of San Francisco and San Pablo Bays and the Pacific Ocean within five miles of shore and the adjoining inland waterways.

The boat will be designed with a semi-displacement hull type to maximize capacity and reduce operating costs. Once built, the fireboat will measure 90 feet in length and 24 feet in breadth. It is estimated that the vessel be capable of reaching speeds of 12 knots. The vessel will not be classed.

On board, the vessel will be equipped with CBRNE (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive) detection capabilities and will have self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBAs) for the safety of firefighting personnel and crewmembers.

“This highly capable fireboat will be a real asset to San Francisco Fire Department as it responds to a variety of marine events, including natural disasters such as earthquakes,” said Jensen’s Johan Sperling, vice president. “We will work closely with fire department personnel to design a versatile and highly efficient boat that can extinguish flames quickly and safely. We are pleased to offer our expertise and provide another industry-leading design.”

Additional design features include a steel hull, a main deck and pilot house that will accommodate three crewmembers, four firefighters, four passengers and up to 60 rescue victims; forward looking infrared (FLIR) to aid with firefighting and search and rescue; and a fuel capacity and efficiency that makes it possible for the boat to remain on scene for up to 36 hours without refueling.

The design is expected to be finalized during the second quarter of 2012, and the construction and delivery will be complete during thefall of 2013.

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Shipbuilding Tribune Staff, February 10, 2012; Image: crowley