Bill Would Repay Fire Departments For Bay Patrols

NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI— Last August, the Newport, Portsmouth and North Kingstown fire departments launched boats on a Sunday night around 11 p.m. They were answering a call for a woman reportedly screaming for help on a whaler somewhere north of the Newport Pell Bridge. Portsmouth marine reported their boat scanned the area and found nothing. But a few minutes later, North Kingstown radioed that they had found the woman with a man on board on the opposite side of the Bay. After both were interviewed and reported no problems, the Coast Guard cancelled the search.

That call happened to be a false alarm, but local fire departments also performed several water rescues last summer that saved people on the jetties and rocks and in danger of being swept away. Now, the departments could be reimbursed for their costs if a proposal from state Rep. Julie A. Casimiro (D-Dist. 31, North Kingstown, Exeter) is adopted.

She has reintroduced legislation (2018-H 7100) to pay back the towns and cities working with the Narragansett Bay Marine Task Force. The state Department of Environmental Management would pay North Kingstown $10,000 that would be used for maintaining its fire boats. Providence, East Providence, Cranston, and Warwick also stand to collect $10,000.

East Greenwich, Narragansett, Barrington, Warren, Bristol, Portsmouth, Middletown, Newport, Jamestown, Tiverton, and Little Compton would receive payments of $6,000.

“This is an important bill for North Kingstown taxpayers and the fire department because it allows the town to continue the vital work they do protecting our bay without burdening our taxpayers with the costs of protecting the whole state’s interests in Narragansett Bay,” said Representative Casimiro.