July 3, 1999
New Boat Will Speed Emergency Response
WADE SCOTT - Courier-Journal
Firefighters ready for river rescues
A high-speed fire and rescue boat will ply the Louisville area's busiest section of the Ohio River for the first time this weekend, which promises the heaviest river traffic this year.
The Harrods Creek Fire Department's 31-foot boat is capable of speeds over 50 mph - more than twice as fast as emergency boats now operated by Louisville and Jefferson County. It became operational yesterday, less than three months after the largest boat fire in recent memory.
On April 19, five boats burned to the water at Admirals Anchor marina on the Indiana side of the Ohio near Utica.
The Louisville and Jefferson County emergency boats arrived after the fire was well under way, and on that day neither was able to spray firefighting foam, which is essential in extinguishing fuel-based fires, officials said.
Harrods Creek Chief Leonard Heydt said his department invested $65,500 in the 2-year-old boat, which will carry firefighters with emergency medical skills, because local agencies weren't well prepared for the many kinds of emergencies that can happen on the river.
Heydt said the department may sell the new boat, which was not built as a fireboat, after a year and buy a customized version, which could cost more than $250,000.
The need, he said, is great.
In 1997, about 20,000 boats were registered in Jefferson and Oldham counties.
There are 1,207 boat slips on the Kentucky side of the Ohio from Zorn Avenue to the Oldham County line, which is Harrods Creek's jurisdiction (the boat could go outside that area to offer assistance).
That is the busiest section of the river for boating in this area, according to Heydt and Rick Cusick, chairman of the fire district's board of trustees.
Danger on the river has risen with the increased use of personal watercraft, such as Jet Skis, officials say, as well as with low-flying planes, like an amphibious model that crashed on the Ohio last September, and commercial traffic such as barges.
Boaters and other police, fire and rescue agencies welcome the new boat.
``It's about time,'' said Jim Vogt, a Jeffersonville, Ind., boat owner who called 911 when the Admirals Anchor marina fire started. When there is an accident, he said, ``the first thing you need is to have a trained medical person on the scene to assess damage and not have inexperienced people dragging them onto another boat.''
Kentucky boat owner Charlie Ochsner agreed.
``Anything you can imagine can happen on the river, and I've seen a lot of it - people slipping on wet decks, carbon-monoxide poisoning, even people jumping off and falling into the engine and getting laid open,'' said Ochsner, whose boat is at Limestone Bay marina on River Road, where the Harrods Creek boat and three Jefferson County police boats are docked.
THE LOUISVILLE fire and police departments operate a 23-yearold former Coast Guard boat, which the agencies got for free two years ago. It carries firefighters and emergency medical technicians, and has a top speed of around 25 mph. It normally responds to emergencies between Second Street and Zorn Avenue.
The Jefferson County police have four boats, including a 23-year-old fireboat, and patrol from Zorn Avenue to the Oldham County line. While the county officers are trained in first aid, they are not emergency medical technicians.
And while the water cannon on the fireboat pumps about 600 gallons per minute - about twice as much as the Louisville or Harrods Creek boats - the two-man crew isn't trained to fight fires. That boat's top speed is about 18 mph.
The Utica Township Volunteer Fire Department in Indiana bought a 21foot firefighting boat that will go about 35 mph after the Admirals Anchor fire.
HARRODS CREEK has been contacting all agencies with operations on the river near Louisville to discuss cooperating during emergencies. The department has also been conducting training exercises.
On Tuesday night, firefighters ``rescued'' a 16-year-old Explorer and a firefighter who pretended to be injured and unconscious in a boat near Six Mile Island. The crew of the new boat also pulled up alongside the Star of Louisville while it was cruising one night to assess how to transport a person with a medical emergency.
Jefferson County police Chief William Carcara and Col. Walter Lage of the Louisville Fire Department said they intend to work closely with Harrods Creek and are discussing joint training exercises.
``It will be good for the community as long as everybody is on the same sheet of music and knows what their responsibility is when the emergency arrives,'' said Robert Biven, a county police spokesman.
``There could be an incident on the river big enough that no one entity can take care of it,'' Lage said.
POLICE SAY calls for emergency assistance on the river aren't frequent, largely because boaters often help each other or call 911 and race for the shore and a waiting ambulance. Brian Hinton, one of the two officers on Jefferson County's fireboat, said there is about one fire a year on the river.
Harrods Creek firefighters point to the Admirals Anchor fire as proof that trained firefighters are needed on the river.
About 6:50 p.m. on April 19, emergency dispatchers in Jefferson County got a call for emergency backup near Utica.
Harrods Creek firefighters and Jefferson County police headed to the fire in the police department's boat.
AS THE POLICE and firefighters approached the black plume of smoke, Harrods Creek Maj. Jim Waters said he knew instantly that the fuel-based fire would have to be fought with foam, not water.
The police boat ``had foam. But by the time we got there, it was obvious we didn't have'' the required siphoning tube to use it. ``They said it was back at the boathouse.''
Meanwhile, the Louisville boat had arrived. But it was still being converted from a Coast Guard boat to a firefighting boat and wasn't yet equipped for foam, said Maj. Mike Nevin, special units officer for the Louisville Fire Department.
Both boats now have all the equipment needed to use foam.
The firefighters sprayed water as the boats burned and sank.
ULTIMATELY, FOAM sprayed by Utica firefighters from land killed the fire, said Utica Chief Jamie Noel.
It's difficult to say whether a quicker response with foam would have reduced the damage because boat fires burn so fast. Still, boaters take comfort in the new Harrods Creek boat.
Looking at the dozens of boats at Limestone Bay, Ochsner said he shudders to think how quickly hundreds of thousands of dollars of investment could burn.
``Or if I'm out there with my family, enjoying our time, and something goes wrong, I'm happy to know that there is somebody out there qualified who can get there fast,'' he said.
BOATING SAFETY TIPS
Kentucky, Indiana and federal laws require an ``appropriately sized and readily available'' life jacket for everyone on board.
You should have some means of signaling distress, such as a Marine VHF radio on Channel 16. To attract help, signal six or more short blasts on a horn or whistle. The local Coast Guard's cellular phone number is (800) 253-7465.
It's good to have a cell phone so you can dial 911.
Check weather conditions before leaving home, and bring an extra anchor and lots of line. Watch the position of nearby boats to avoid becoming tangled in other anchor lines.
It is illegal in Kentucky and Indiana to operate a boat while intoxicated or using drugs. It's also against the law to dump sewage overboard.
For boats 16 feet and longer, have a throwable flotation device.
A fire extinguisher is required by Coast Guard regulations.
Both the Coast Guard and the Jefferson County police will provide free inspections.
PHOTOS BY TRAVIS DOSTER, SPECIAL TO THE COURIER-JOURNAL
The Harrods Creek Fire Department's new 31-foot boat can travel faster than 50 mph - more than twice as fast as emergency boats now operated by Louisville and Jefferson County agencies.
George Wiggins, left, and Darryl Rhodes of the Harrods Creek Fire Department trained Thursday on the department's new fire and rescue boat.
BY MICHAEL HAYMAN, THE COURIER-JOURNAL
Brian Hinton is one of the two officers on the Jefferson County police fireboat, which patrols the Ohio River from Zorn Avenue to the Oldham County line. The boat is relatively slow - its top speed is about 18 mph.
BY SCOTT WADE, THE COURIER-JOURNAL