NICEVILLE — The Fire Department now is prepared to respond to just about any situation on the water, thanks to a new piece of equipment.
The department received a 27-foot fire boat this week. It is equipped radar, sonar, dive racks for the scuba team and a pump capable of spewing 1,200 gallons of water per minute.
View a photo gallery of the fire boat. >>
“We currently have 202 commercial slips in Niceville, which doesn’t count the recreational boats in Okaloosa County,” Fire Chief Tommy Mayville said. “Okaloosa County is right up there in the top 10 for boating accidents in the state of Florida. Now, we will be able to fight fires and perform water rescues in adjacent bays.”
The $231,000 boat was funded by a port security grant, Mayville said. It is the department’s largest boat and the second one in the county capable of rescues in deep water, he said.
Niceville also has paddle boards and a smaller boat that are used in shallow water.
“We’ve needed some type of water access to do whatever we needed to do around that (Citgo) barge and around the docks in all our geographical areas,” Mayville said. “I feel that we’re pretty well equipped in the Niceville area.
“Now we have many ways to get to people in distress.”
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Angel McCurdy at 850-315-4432 or amccurdy@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @AngelMnwfdn.