Fireboats of Pittsburgh
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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, one of the United States' most active inland water ports, has been serviced by multiple fireboats.[1][2][3][4][5]
On December 16, 2016, the city placed an order for a modern fireboat, when recent waterfront fires, in 2015 and 2016, couldn't be fought properly without a fireboat.[1][2][3][4][5]
From 1956 through 1973 the city operated the C.D. Scully.[6][2][3][4][5] In 1973 Fire Chief Thomas Kennelly argued that the city didn't need a fireboat, that land-based crew and equipment could handle all fires. However, in November 2015 a luxury pleasurecraft caught fire, in the middle of a river, and even with its ladder trucks cranes at full extension, water from their hoses could not reach the boat. In May 2016 a large riverfront property went up in flames. Land-based crews could not get enough water pressure to fight the flames, where the powerful pumps of a fireboat could have provided the needed extra water pressure. So, on December 16, 2016, the city announced a contract to purchase a new, modern fireboat.[7][8][9][10][11][12]
The new vessel will be christened the Sophie Masloff, in honor of Pittsburgh's first female mayor.[13] It will enter operational service in September 2017, after enough firefighters have been trained.