The Anne Arundel County Fire Department have taken delivery of the first of two state-of-the-art 50-foot fireboats from Metal Shark, a leading boat manufacturer based in Louisiana. These powerful, welded-aluminium vessels are set to significantly enhance the Department’s ability to respond to emergencies on the water throughout the Chesapeake Bay.
The new fireboats, equipped with advanced firefighting capabilities, will be tasked with safeguarding more than 500 miles of shoreline within Anne Arundel County. The boats will also play a critical role in the Department’s provision of mutual aid services to Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Calvert County, City of Annapolis, Prince George’s County, Queen Anne’s County, and the United States Naval Academy.
Designed by Metal Shark’s in-house engineering team and built at the company’s Franklin, Louisiana shipyard, the new 50 Defiant NXT monohull pilothouse fireboats offer faster speeds enabling shorter response times, greater pumping volume increasing firefighting effectiveness, and a next-generation design improving efficiency while affording greater safety to firefighters.
The new fireboats feature a wide range of next-generation enhancements including a spacious, climate-controlled pilothouse delivering best-in-class visibility. Metal Shark’s signature “pillarless glass” with reverse-raked windshield significantly reduces blind spots compared to conventional pilothouse fireboats with smaller, framed windows. A unique window arrangement, with a second tier of side windows below the beltline, provides improved downward-angle visibility, crucial while maneuvering alongside smaller vessels or during man-overboard retrieval. An overhead skylight array provides an unobstructed upward view when operating alongside ships or elevated structures, or during helicopter hoisting operations. The result is mission-enhancing visibility throughout the complete range of firefighting and rescue scenarios.
The new 50’ x 16’ fireboats feature twin inboard diesel waterjet propulsion for maximum performance and pinpoint maneuverability, delivering a top speed in excess of 45 knots for the fastest possible emergency-response time. At a more economical cruise 30-knot cruise speed, the vessels deliver a nominal operating range of approximately 250 nautical miles.
Designed for maximum firefighting capability and water pumping volume, the new vessels deliver a flow rate in excess of 8,500 gallons per minute, with twin 3,000 GPM self-priming fire pumps driven via PTO from the main engines. Each pump draws from its own dedicated in-hull sea chest, feeding a central manifold with crossover capability, which in turn supplies the entire system.
From the fire control station at the port helm, flow is directed as desired via electronically-actuated 8” slow-close valves with manual backup. The vessels are each equipped with a remote-operated electric rooftop monitor, two aft-mounted monitors, two aft dual handline outlets, and two 5” Storz hydrant outlets. Dual 55-gallon reservoirs carry a total of 110 gallons of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) per vessel.
“The continued success of our Defiant NXT fireboat platforms has been rewarding to see, and it’s a testament to our commitment to continually review, refine, enhance, and perfect our product offering,” said Metal Shark’s Vice President of Sales for LE, Fire/Rescue & Specialty Projects, Dean Jones. “We consider our customers to be lifelong partners, and the folks from Anne Arundel have proven to be an absolute pleasure to work with. The mutual trust and respect between our team and theirs resulted in a truly collaborative process, merging their experience with our knowledge base. As a result, these new assets will provide a new level of capabilities, offer increased opportunities for regional inter-agency partnerships, and ultimately redefine maritime safety and response for Anne Arundel County Fire Department and the communities they serve.”
“It is our mission to support those who serve and protect, and it has been an honor and a privilege to help the dedicated men and women of Anne Arundel County Fire Department to upgrade their fireboat fleet,” said Metal Shark CEO Chris Allard. “These high-performance, state of the art vessels will allow crews to respond faster, cover more distance, and do their jobs more efficiently and safely, strengthening the Department’s ability to ensure the safety and well being of the County’s residence and visitors.”
