Turkey Creek Fire Territory took possession of a prototype fire-rescue boat made by PolarCraft and outfitted by Dunny’s Pump Service and Doc Side, all of Syracuse. The boat went into service this morning, with members of the fire territory undergoing training throughout the day.
Shown in front are Jason Lundberg, PolarCraft; Battalion Chief Jon Hall, Firefighter Greg Scott; Denny’s Pump Service owners Lindsey and Matt Dunithan; Firefighter Matt Stanley; Amy Curry, PolarCraft; Shad Ott, Doc Side; and Fire Chief Mickey Scott. Shown on the boat are Firefighters Tony Meeks and Geoffrey Ellingwood; Juana Torres, PolarCraft, Township Fire Territory board member Corky Wong; and Chris Gortney, PolarCraft maintenance. Photo by Deb Patterson.

By Deb Patterson
InkFreeNews

SYRACUSE — Turkey Creek Fire Territory now has a fire/rescue boat in its arsenal of equipment.

Collaboration among three Syracuse businesses created the fire/rescue boat for the department. The boat was delivered this morning, Wednesday, May 24, and was put into service immediately.

The prototype PolarCraft is outfitted with a 150 hp Yamaha motor and features a fire pump with foam capabilities, a remote operated deck gun, emergency and service lights. “This was built purposely for fire/rescue,” said Fire Chief Mickey Scott.

Matt Dunithan, co-owner of Dunny’s Pump Service, Syracuse, explained the 22-foot PolarCraft features: A Hale pump that can pump 350 gallons of water a minute with a monitor on the front of the boat that, regardless of the boat’s location, can spray water 100 feet away from the boat.

Dunny’s Pump Service did all the pump work, with PolarCraft designing the boat and Doc Side installing the motor and power poles.

“There were a lot of hands, three companies and a lot of hours that went in to making the boat what it is. This is the first one we’ve partnered with to make it happen,” said Dunithan.

Juana Torres, PolarCraft, explained more about the boat. She stated under the console the Hale pump can draft water through the hull of the boat. A push bumper was added to the front, to allow the fire department to use the boat to push a watercraft on fire away from any exposures.

Firefighters will begin training on the new piece of fire equipment, which went into service immediately.

Previously the department had use of a boat owned by Al Tehan to fight fires on the lakes.

The boat was purchased for $75,000 through the fire territory’s cumulative fire equipment fund. The boat retails for $175,000.