City Christens New Fireboat [Video]

The city’s new fireboat, the Robert L. Bedell, was christened Monday morning at the city’s visitors dock at Veterans Memorial Park.

The 38-foot-long, aluminum hull boat was built in Oregon by North River Boats and then transported by truck to Norwalk, where it arrived in October.

Fire Chief Denis McCarthy said the christening of the Bedell "is the culmination of several years of work and collaboration between local, state, and federal agencies. It is the result of many, many hours of personal commitment to get it right."

The Bedell is named after a Norwalk firefighter who was a member of the department from 1975 to the time of his death in 2004. His children Keith, Matthew, and Melissa attended the ceremony with Bedell's former wife, Linda.

The Bedell cost about $600,000, with most of the purchase paid for by a grant from FEMA.

Lt. Timothy Morrisette was chairman of the committee that prepared the specifications for the boat and oversaw its construction.

Morrisette said he and members of the committee visited several fire departments around the country to examine the boats they were using before designing the Bedell.

Besides the abililty to fight fires, the Bedell is outfitted with sensors that can detect chemicals or radiation. The grant from FEMA requires that it participate in homeland security operations on Long Island Sound. 

The boat has three monitors (nozzles) that can stream up to 2,400 gallons of water per minute.

It’s powered by two Cummins 425 horsepower diesel engines and can reach a speed of 35 knotts. It is propelled by water jets instead of propellers, and has a draft of 2 1/2 feet.

The Fire Department’s Marine Division has 16 firefighters, all of whom work out of nearby Station 3 on Van Zant Street in East Norwalk.

Download the movie