Fire Boat "Broke" with only 750 hrs of use

[home made tunnel]

Here's a story of some local stupidity!!! Firemen in new england should not take care of boats, and they've proven they can't. An Open checkbook, given to shmucks.
My local town folks are all up in arms, pissed, and this fire chief is a smooth talker.
So my home town's FIRST fire boat is only a few years old. And in January 2018 i posted some pics of this. Turns out, it's been broken ever since !!! And only now are they publicly admitting it, asking for more cash to fix it.
It has shore-power, but it's not for warming the engine compartment, only to tend the batteries.
You have some firemen who have zero nautical know-how maintaining this boat.
The harbor doesn't always freeze, but in winter of 2018, we had a week straight of VERY cold weather, where it never broke above 10* Farenheit. That's when the harbor froze over with about 4" thick ice (and broke this boat).
In the video, the Chief states the annual maintenance costs were only $2,500 a year on a million dollar boat ($650k really). This included haul-out, bottom paint, zincs, and new batteries. WHAT A JOKE! Did they even look at the rest of the boat?
"Someone may have unplugged the shore power, or the wind blew it, or a wave, we have no idea" what a joke.
And then to hear him babble on about "4 attempted suicides a year jumping off bridges"... which aren't tall enough to kill you...
I agree my town could benefit from having this boat... but that's what a harbor master is for. NKFD doesn't need it, because they have proved they can't maintain it. NEGLIGENCE!!! and the NKFD union boys will not admit who is at fault (themselves!!!) because they had zero training, zero maintenance schedules, nada!!! I've seen this boat almost daily, and NO ONE tends it. It just sits at the dock neglected, 1/4 mile from the station.

It needs 2 new motors because 1 froze and broke. Well, the intercooler/heat exchanger broke, and let seawater into the motor, and they kept running it like that. The company that makes those engines doesn't make them anymore. So they need matching engines - now they need 2 new ones! Yanmar i believe they were

You want to hear a Fire Chief talk bull$h!t for a while? He starts about the 23 minute mark here:
http://northkingstown.granicus.com/M...3&clip_id=1013

Heres the link to the article:
http://www.independentri.com/news/ar...cae862adb.html

[SS Minnow]

Yeah, in my local gov. whatever you want to call it, there is so much wasted money for these type things. Any push back is met with cries that you do not care about people who need help. So much wasted money. But hey, we have water rescue for ice fishermen that get stranded. Yah us!!!!!

[Euroski]

anything with the word "government" and U know it6's wasting tax payers $$$$

[SS Minnow]

Last winter there were about 15 "fishermen" out on an ice peninsula that broke free. Total cost for rescue was just under $150k to chase them down and pull them in. Why does that cost go to me? I am smart enough to stay away from that. Charge them. If that discourages them from calling for help, problem solved, right?

[home made tunnel]

Last winter there were about 15 "fishermen" out on an ice peninsula that broke free. Total cost for rescue was just under $150k to chase them down and pull them in. Why does that cost go to me? I am smart enough to stay away from that. Charge them. If that discourages them from calling for help, problem solved, right?

Why does it cost $150k in the first place?!

Even an ambulance ride - it's a $150k vehicle - with a few trained personell onboard. about 45 mins round trip to pick you up and drop you off.
Price? $5,000
A septic Pump Truck - it's a $150k vehicle - with a couple trained personell onboard. about an hour round trip to pick your poo and drop it off.
Price: $500

Fishy, aye?!

[SS Minnow]

Follow the money. Follow the money.
With the first responders, it is about liability. Did not rescue "dumb ass" right, you can and will be sued.

Septic pump truck, just a crappy business. Anything else and I would just be talking crap.

[idvette]

Not boat related, but along the same lines re: zero training and no clue as to what maintenance means. It has got to the point now that when I pull into my dealership lot in the morning and see a fire/rescue truck I already know it needs an exhaust filter. Always the same story: "we don't use this one often, just pull it out of the bay to wash it once a week, now it doesn't run." Always the same repair, exhaust filter and blown intake tube from the back pressure. $12,000 later, I've only had 1 department ask how to prevent it from happening again. Most just pay the bill and keep using the truck the same way.

[DangerNewb]

Not boat related, but along the same lines re: zero training and no clue as to what maintenance means. It has got to the point now that when I pull into my dealership lot in the morning and see a fire/rescue truck I already know it needs an exhaust filter. Always the same story: "we don't use this one often, just pull it out of the bay to wash it once a week, now it doesn't run." Always the same repair, exhaust filter and blown intake tube from the back pressure. $12,000 later, I've only had 1 department ask how to prevent it from happening again. Most just pay the bill and keep using the truck the same way.

It's called OPM. Other People's Money.

[Whaaaaat]

Not boat related, but along the same lines re: zero training and no clue as to what maintenance means. It has got to the point now that when I pull into my dealership lot in the morning and see a fire/rescue truck I already know it needs an exhaust filter. Always the same story: "we don't use this one often, just pull it out of the bay to wash it once a week, now it doesn't run." Always the same repair, exhaust filter and blown intake tube from the back pressure. $12,000 later, I've only had 1 department ask how to prevent it from happening again. Most just pay the bill and keep using the truck the same way.

I'm a firm believer that military and first response vehicles should be exempt from emissions. If there's a fire at my house I want the truck there running not trying to regen while on the way or the water pump is spraying