Crime & Safety
Fire Department to Lease Dock for Water Rescue Boat
City council OK'd a measure that would allow the mayor to enter an agreement with the trustees of Clifton Lagoon and the trustees of Clifton Park to use the local dock.
Since the Lakewood Fire Department bought its rescue boat last year, there really hasn’t been an official home to dock $64,000 vessel.
Until now.
City council OK’d a measure Tuesday that would allow the mayor to enter an agreement with the trustees of Clifton Lagoon and the trustees of Clifton Park to use the local dock.
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Fire chief Scott Gilman has said that having a presence near Lake Erie will allow quicker response — and rescue — times.
The kicker?
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The city won’t spend any money on the lease.
The trustees of the Clifton Lagoon and Clifton Park have both OK’d the arrangement.
“We’re better suited to have it here,” said Gilman. “Now we can allocate our resources better.”
Last year, with the help of a $48,419 port security grant, the city bought a duel-engine Ribcraft rescue boat that said will allow the department to quickly respond to calls on Lake Erie and the Rocky River.
The department already had a 12-foot, single-engine boat, but at more than 20 years old, it was nearing the end of the line. And it was slow.
The new 21-foot boat came with twin-engines to cut down on response times. It’s also equipped with special hoses that can fight fires using water from Lake Erie.
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