''Marine One'' is a $1.5 million

fireboat A fireboat or fire-float is a specialized watercraft with pumps and nozzles designed for fighting shoreline and shipboard fires. The first fireboats, dating to the late 18th century, were tugboats, retrofitted with firefighting equipmen ...

, retired as a cost saving measure, by

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...

, in November, 2018. Savannah acquired the boat in 2014, with $1.2 million of its cost paid for through a

FEMA Port Security Grant Since 2002, the Department of Homeland Security has provided Port Security Grants to ports within the United States, to build fireboats. These vessels are thought to help keep the entire United States safer, because, in addition to fighting loca ...

. Like all fireboats paid for through FEMA grants, the fireboat is equipped to work during disasters where it has to cope with dangerous chemical spills, or when the air is contaminated with nuclear, chemical or germ warfare agents.

Operational history

The fireboat rescued dozens of passengers when a local ferry dock collapsed.

Retirement debate

Fire Chief Charles G. Middleton, who played a key role in the Fire Department's acquisition of the fireboat, announced his retirement on October 31, 2018. The city closed down its central fire-station, where ''Marine One'' was moored, together with Engine 16, telling local businesses and residents that they would receive adequate firefighting services from nearby fire stations. Savannah Alderman Julian Miller justified the retirement by asserting the boat cost $500,000 to operate, and had never been employed fighting fires, and that smaller boats available to the fire department could be used to perform marine rescues. Kenneth Slatkovsky, a Savannah official, said the fireboat will remain moored at the closed station, and will be under a minimum operational maintenance schedule, so it would be available, if needed, after the firefighters trained to use her were called from their current assignments. Elements of the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

would be called upon for firefighting and marine rescue services, as would commercial tugboats.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite news , url = https://www.savannahnow.com/news/20181113/savannah-docks-16-million-fire-boat-relocates-firefighter-crew , title = Savannah docks $1.6 million fire boat, relocates firefighter crew , work =

Savannah Now The ''Savannah Morning News'' is a daily newspaper in Savannah, Georgia. It is published by Gannett. The motto of the paper is "Light of the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry". The paper serves Savannah, its metropolitan area, and parts of South Ca ...

, author = Eric Curt , date = 2018-11-13 , archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20181120100000/https://www.savannahnow.com/news/20181113/savannah-docks-16-million-fire-boat-relocates-firefighter-crew , archivedate = 2018-11-20 , accessdate = 2018-11-20 , url-status = live , quote = In addition, the operation of the Engine 16 pumper truck out of the East Oglethorpe Avenue station will also be discontinued this week, although all 15 firefighters that manned the boat and truck will be shifted to other engines, said Ken Slats, Savannah’s acting public information officer. {{cite news , url = https://www.wsav.com/top-stories/budget-cuts-shake-up-fire-services/1582275866 , title = Budget cuts shake up fire services , work = WSAV , author = Darius Johnson , date = 2018-11-08 , archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20181120105904/https://www.wsav.com/top-stories/budget-cuts-shake-up-fire-services/1582275866 , archivedate = 2018-11-20 , accessdate = 2018-11-20 , url-status = live , quote = They do not expect a decrease in response times with 333 firefighters staffed across the city. But say should they need to perform a water rescue they have other resources such as tugboats and the coast guard. However, those 15 firefighters will remain on standby {{cite news , url = http://www.savannahtribune.com/articles/savannah-fire-chief-charles-g-middleton-to-retire/ , title = Savannah Fire Chief Charles G. Middleton To Retire , work =

Savannah Tribune The ''Savannah Tribune'' is a weekly African-American newspaper published in Savannah, Georgia. History The ''Savannah Tribune'' was founded in 1875 and went through two hiatuses (from 1878 to 1886 and from 1960 to 1973). Originally named the ''Co ...

, date = 2018-10-31 , archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20181120095747/http://www.savannahtribune.com/articles/savannah-fire-chief-charles-g-middleton-to-retire/ , archivedate = 2018-11-20 , accessdate = 2018-11-20 , url-status = live {{cite news , url = https://www.wjcl.com/article/engine-16-shuts-down-in-savannah-firefighters-say-it-will-affect-residents/25107409 , title = Engine 16 shuts down in Savannah. So how long will it take firefighters to respond now? , work =

WJCL-TV WJCL (channel 22) is a television station in Savannah, Georgia, United States, affiliated with ABC. Owned by Hearst Television, the station maintains a transmitter in unincorporated western Chatham County, near Bloomingdale. Its studios are lo ...

, author = Liandra Larsen , date = 2018-11-15 , location =

, archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20181120095843/https://www.wjcl.com/article/engine-16-shuts-down-in-savannah-firefighters-say-it-will-affect-residents/25107409 , archivedate = 2018-11-20 , accessdate = 2018-11-20 , url-status = live , quote = City council decided that resources should be focused on land-based emergencies. The decision to discontinue the engine and its fire boat was predicted to have the least effect on the community. Firefighters disagree, saying marine rescue has saved lives before. Fireboats of the United States