A new fireboat for Essex Fire Engine Co. 1 arrived in early May, enhancing the town’s fire and rescue capabilities, not just for Essex, but surrounding towns.

“I’m extremely excited that we got this fireboat,” said Essex First Selectman Norman Needleman. “It’s been long overdue.

“Essex patrols a large part of the Connecticut River between Old Saybrook and Haddam. We tend to be first on the scene for a lot of things. This boat is well equipped to deal with on-the-water and on-the-land fires,” he continued.

The new 28-foot Metalcraft Marine vessel features a water cannon with a pump rate of 1,563 gallons per minute and other capabilities much improved from the Fire Department’s unserviceable 1994 Privateer workboat.

“The other fire boat had a thrown-on pump on the back of the boat, and it did not have the gallons per minute that are necessary to really get range,” said Needleman. “This [new boat] will shoot water a great distance and keep the officers safe…as well as having a better shot of dealing with any fires.”

Another feature of the vessel is emergency medical services (EMS) support, with a heated patient care berth, a storage panel for a self-contained breathing apparatus, and EMS equipment storage.

In 2019, the Town of Essex secured a $278,000 federal port security grant, which is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to help cover the costs of the new fireboat. The remaining 20 percent was covered by the Town of Essex. The town had applied for federal funding four times prior to receiving the grant in 2019.

“There was a team of people including our Fire Marshal [John Planas] and different members of the department that worked on the grant application,” said Needleman.

U.S. Congressman Joe Courtney also supported the grant application process.

“I especially want to thank Joe Courtney and the rest of our congressional delegation that advocated for us in this process,” said Needleman.