To the Editor:
I am not a firefighter, but as one who works the water, I have seen my share of vessel fires. I was concerned when the Island first got fireboats that people would somehow think a fireboat would save your boat if it was on fire. NO WAY.
A fiberglass boat burns so fast and with such intensity that is very difficult to save a vessel once the fiberglass is on fire (lots of black smoke). In addition, the firefighters’ only weapons are foam and water, which of course sink the boat in a short time. My boat recently burned; I was under no illusions that there would be much left when I got to the dock. I however was very grateful that the fireboats did get to the vessel on time to prevent the fuel tanks from rupturing and cause an environmental disaster. I was also very grateful that the other boats at the dock were protected from the fire. Frankly, working on the water as I do, moving men and equipment from job to job, I am very impressed that a volunteer fireboat can even leave the dock in 20 minutes, never mind be on the scene fighting a fire.
I have seen fuel tanks rupture in a marina fire. The fuel spreads very quickly, it ignites, the water is on fire, it burns everything. Dock lines burn, and boats drift around, lighting other boats on fire; it is a massive conflagration. God help you if you are on a boat when the water is burning. So you see, the fireboat is not to save the first boat or the one rafted to it, but all the other vessels in the harbor, and more important, the people on those other vessels.
So I say three cheers to the men and women who volunteer their time, not just to turn out to face danger on a moment’s notice, but to drill and drill and drill for an event that may not happen for years at a time. Every time the bell has rung, these volunteers have turned out and performed at a very professional level. No injuries, no pollution: I say thank you for a job very, very well done.
John Packer
Vineyard Haven