City of Seattle Fire Department Fireboat
The 108′ Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and High-Yield Explosives Large Platform Fireboat for the Seattle Fire Department operates in Puget Sound within two miles of shore and the adjoining inland waterways.
The Leschi fireboat is capable of pumping 22,000 gallons of water per minute and traveling at speeds up to 14 knots. This vessel is outfitted as a mobile command center, which provides an alternate base of operations for the department’s leaders and incident-response managers. It is also a mobile pump and fuel station and is equipped to respond to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive (CBRNE) emergencies.
Two MTU 8v-400 M71 diesels drive ZF W4610 gears, turning 72-inch, four-blade propellers. Each of these engines is rated to deliver 1550 hp at 2000 rpm.
The main feature of the Leschi is its system for combating CBRNE events. The central function of this system is to protect the atmosphere in key areas of the vessel. At the touch of a button, the vessel goes into CBRNE mode: an alarm sounds, lights flash, and the bridge, mobile command center and several other parts of the boat become Toxic Free Areas (TFA). Doors are sealed, fans and filters kick in and pressure inside the TFA increases to two atmospheres. The CBRNE system was custom-designed, engineered for Leschi by DCI.