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Hovercraft Aren't Just For Water Rescues Anymore

6 comments

MANY FIRE DEPARTMENTS THAT SKIRT THE OHIO SHORELINE ALONG LAKE ERIE have hovercrafts on their equipment roster.  They are used frequently for both water and ice rescues in the Great Lake.  Saturday morning, the Toledo, Ohio, Fire Department put a couple of them to work in still another type of situation.

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Toledo Blade

When a large fire broke out at a metal recycling facility, it was burning through conveyor belts and large crushing machinery in a high-ceilinged work station and was spreading.  Toledo Battalion Chief Jerry Abair put in a mutual-aid call for two of the big-fanned boats to help set up a positive pressure ventilation operation.  He tells the Toledo Blade how and why he did it, along with the results, on this video interview:

The fire was extinguished after just two hours, but the damages topped $2 million, most of it due to destroyed conveyor belts and automobile crushing machinery.

hovercraft-b-toledoblade

Toledo Blade

Special thanks to:  Firefighter Nation

Posted by on August 11, 2009 • Filed under: apparatus, fire, Training
  • Joe

    Cabin John’s airboat over in MD has been used for it as well. There are some pics somewhere on the net here.

  • Joe

    Cabin John’s airboat over in MD has been used for it as well. There are some pics somewhere on the net here.

  • RxFire

    We use the airboat from the local National Wildlife Refuge as part of our rookie training to create winds for the fire shelter deployment exercise. It works well for creating strong winds similar to those in an actual burnover conditions.

  • RxFire

    We use the airboat from the local National Wildlife Refuge as part of our rookie training to create winds for the fire shelter deployment exercise. It works well for creating strong winds similar to those in an actual burnover conditions.

  • B. Morgan

    If you need to vent a large building with positive pressure or create a wind where there is none airboats, (or hovercraft) are just the tool. The dispatch office should have a list of local airboat owners just in case you need them. They make a great broken/thin ice rescue boat, Just make sure you buy the right one and have trained, experienced operators.

  • B. Morgan

    If you need to vent a large building with positive pressure or create a wind where there is none airboats, (or hovercraft) are just the tool. The dispatch office should have a list of local airboat owners just in case you need them. They make a great broken/thin ice rescue boat, Just make sure you buy the right one and have trained, experienced operators.