Water-based land support On November 25, 2011, a fire
raged in a warehouse measuring about 120,000 square feet in the Anse-au-Foulon section of the Port of Quebec. Due to the danger- ous nature of the fire, firefighters sounded four successive alarms. Included in these alarms were
calls for two Ocean Group tugs each equipped with a FI-FI 1 firefighting system. First on scene to back up the Quebec City’s fire department was the Ocean Ross Gaudreault. Minutes later, the Ocean Bertrand Jeansonne was called to the fire. The two tugs each have two monitors with each monitor capable of delivering 1,200 cubic metres of water per hour from the river. This volume of water from four monitors
contributed greatly to extinguish- ing the fire. Port captain Francis Morel stat-
ed, “It was quite an adventure and a great experience too.” One of the major advantages of
a fireboat assisting a land-based operation is that it has an endless supply of water immediately avail- able so it does not need to be connected to a tanker or a fire hy- drant like its land-based cousins. Their pumps are capable of push- ing out a significant volume of water and in some instances can be used to supply water to land-based pumpers where little or no water supply is available. The fireboat can simply pump water until the fire is extinguished. Another example of assistance
to land crews is when a city’s water supply might become compro- mised; a fireboat could then be called upon to pump water to help firefighters cope with a fire. Fireboats can also be used to
transport emergency paramedics doctors or additional firefighters to the site of a fire where access by land is blocked. Furthermore, the fireboat might also be used to remove firefighters or civilians trapped by flames where, again, access by land is blocked. In areas that are prone to earth-
quakes fireboats can be used to pump water for land-based fire- fighting if water mains break during earthquakes or other disasters affecting municipal water supplies.
n
Main: First tug on-site, the Ocean Ross Gaudreault, can be seen through mist and darkness. Inset: Television coverage of Quebec Fire Department and Group Ocean tugs battling the blaze.
Photo: Group Ocean 21
September 2013
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