LYNN — The Lynn Fire Department acquired its first rescue boat, which will allow crews to pull people out of the Lynn Harbor without the potential life or death delay of waiting for assistance from a neighboring community or the U.S. Coast Guard.
The rescue boat has long been on the wish list for the department, and was purchased at no cost to the city, thanks to the donations of three local businessmen — AL Prime Energy CEO Nasser Buisier; John Walsh, of John’s Oil; with support and assistance from Swampscott developer Charles Patsios.
Lynn Fire already had two 10-foot inflatable rescue boats for water saves in ponds such as Sluice, Flax, and in Lynn Woods, but aren’t suitable for ocean rescues, according to Fire Chief Stephen Archer.
“We relied primarily on Swampscott Fire, the Coast Guard (or the harbormaster) to assist us, but obviously that requires a delay in the rescue, so this just gives us a capability that we are long overdue in getting,” Archer said. “It’s just going to allow us to do a more timely response.”
The fire chief described the 24-foot Parker rescue boat as very powerful — it is outfitted with two 175 horsepower outboard motors and can travel 40 knots, or nautical miles per hour, around the open sea, allowing crews to get to someone in the water quickly.
The boat was acquired through the state Surplus Property Program, which requires a deposit of 25 percent of the value of the surplus property from the community taking possession.
In this case, the $5,000 down payment was covered by Buisier and Walsh. Patsios assisted Lynn Fire by guiding the department through the process, which started over the summer, said Archer.
The new boat is expected to be fully operational and ready for emergency responses in the harbor by the start of the 2019 boating season.
It can fit a crew of three to four firefighters and will be fully equipped with anything needed to assist them with pulling victims into the boat, including medical equipment, emergency lights, radio, GPS capability and night lights.
Archer said he couldn’t estimate how many water rescues the department sees on an annual basis in the harbor, as there is “no rhyme or reason to it.”
“There’s been numerous times where we had the need to either rescue or investigate calls for someone in trouble out in the ocean,” Archer said. “It happens fairly frequently, especially in the boating season.”
In the past, Swampscott Fire has assisted Lynn Fire on the Lynn Shore Drive side. Archer said the department’s goal is to acquire jet skis to provide a quicker response on the shoreline there, which fire officials would also look to acquire through the Surplus Supply Program.
“Given the city’s financial situation, we know the money is not there right now,” Archer said. “We’re looking to get creative through how we acquire that.”
