Hoboken Fire Department to Get a Boat

The city of Hoboken will soon add a Fire Boat to its fleet. 

The city council last week approved a resolution to accept a grant that will provide the city with a fire boat.

The resolution was approved eight to one—Sixth Ward Councilwoman Jennifer Giattino cast the only dissenting vote—last Wednesday. 

The fire boat can be used for terrorism prevention, surface water rescue and fires along the waterfront, said Councilman Ravi Bhalla in a conversation about the matter on Wednesday afternoon. 

While the boat itself will be paid for by a grant, maintenance of the vessel will have to be paid by the Fire Department. 

It'll be approximately four months until the boat will come to Hoboken, Bhalla said. The city will have to match part of the grant, but will be reimbursed for the amount by the federal government, Bhalla said. 

A boat would increase the public safety by the waterfront, Bhalla said. "I am concerned about the surface water rescue operations of the city," Bhalla said. "Individuals tend to end up in the Hudson River from time to time and I’d like to see Hoboken have a better means of addressing that problem."

Fire Department Chief Richard Blohm addressed the council last week and said that the fire department will not need to hire any additional staff to man the boat, which was one of the concerns mentioned by the—somewhat wary—council members.