Lake Assault Boats - Experts & Thought Leaders

Lake Assault Boats, part of Fraser Shipyards and a manufacturer of purpose-built, mission-specific fire and rescue boats, placed a 31-foot fireboat into service on Lake of the Ozarks with the Osage Beach Fire Protection District in central Missouri. “We love the new Lake Assault Boats vessel. The advanced technologies it features makes it easy to operate and improves our on-the-water performance,” said Fire Chief Paul Berardi of the Osage Beach Fire Protection District in Missouri. “After having it on duty for the past few months, we wouldn’t buy another fire boat without its state-of-the-art designs.” Mission-Specific fire “The craft is similar to one that’s on duty south of us in Western Taney County in Branson, Missouri,” added Deputy Fire Chief Steve Lucas. “They graciously allowed us to test their Lake Assault fireboat for a full day. We came away thoroughly impressed with how it handles rough water and cuts through the biggest waves. We figured, why reinvent the wheel?” Engineered on the shores of Lake Superior, the modified V-hull craft is 31-feet long and has a 10-foot, 6-inch beam. The boat’s draft is less than 18-inches with motors trimmed up and 24-inches when trimmed down. The craft includes a dive door on the port side as well as a fold down stair/ladder on the bow to aid in boarding and dis-embarking. Ground base apparatus A 5-inch gated discharge on the forward deck supplies water to the ground base apparatus Power is supplied by twin 300 hp four-stroke Mercury outboards that are controlled through the Skyhook Digital Anchor and Joystick Piloting systems. “The craft is easy to maneuver in tight spaces, and holds its position while the fire pump is operating,” added Deputy Chief Lucas. “Plus, the learning curve for operators is fast, and that’s extremely important.” The firefighting system includes a Darley PSDE 1,500 GPM fire pump that is driven by a dedicated 6.0L V-8 gas engine. There is an electronically controlled TFT Monsoon 1500 GPM rooftop monitor that offers an unobstructed range of at least 270 degrees and has a vertical coverage of 60 degrees above and five degrees below horizontal. A 5-inch gated discharge on the forward deck supplies water to the ground base apparatus. Fully enclosed pilothouse The vessel features a full width and fully enclosed pilothouse with an interior clearance height of 76-inches and a rooftop air conditioning and heating system. There is bench seating with storage underneath along the aft wall. The dash console provides ample room for fire pump controls and monitors, and includes two Garmin touchscreens that operate GPS, structure scan sonar, Chart Plotting, and forward-looking infrared (FLIR). The department’s protection area is 105 square miles, and includes the busiest sections of Lake of the Ozarks, with 7,500 residents and up to 80,000 visitors from across the region on busy summer weekends.

The Putnam County Fire Department, located midway between Atlanta and Augusta, Georgia, has purchased two identical Lake Assault boat craft scheduled for delivery in late 2022. The vessels will assist the department in providing fire suppression and emergency response services on Lake Oconee and Lake Sinclair, as well as on the land surrounding both. Enhancing emergency response “Our department protects 185 miles of shoreline, which includes hydropower facilities, single-family homes, vacations homes, and secluded neighborhoods that are not served by fire hydrants,” said Fire Chief Thomas McClain of the Putnam County Fire Department. “Among their many capabilities, these new fireboats can quickly supply lake water to ground-based firefighting apparatus and will significantly enhance our department’s emergency response capabilities.” Features of the fireboats The deck-mounted monitor is rated at 1,250 gpm and incorporates a gated 2.5-inch discharge port The 26-foot long fireboats feature a landing craft style, modified V-hull design with a 63-inch hydraulically operated bow door capable of transporting ATVs. The craft is powered by twin 225 hp Yamaha outboard engines and includes a 1,250-gpm fire pump driven by a marinized V-6 engine. The deck-mounted monitor is rated at 1,250 gpm and incorporates a gated 2.5-inch discharge port. Other features include fore and aft storage compartments and three (3) automatic bilge pumps. Water response capabilities  The T-top pilothouse folds forward to allow for clearance under low bridges. Its componentry includes an overhead rack housing two emergency radios. The dash console features a 12-inch touchscreen that controls forward-looking infrared (FLIR), sonar with SideVu and DownVu, chart plotting, and GPS. “When I became chief two years ago, we took a close look at our on-the-water response capabilities, as it's been a challenge for us,” said Chief McClain. Chief's comment “We did our homework and researched the industry. We also met with other departments in the region that are using Lake Assault boat craft, asked questions, and got an up-close look at them in action. Most importantly, our community stepped up and passed a referendum to support the purchase through a Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax. We’re very excited to have these fireboats join our department.” The Putnam County Fire Department is a combination of volunteer and career organizations. The department’s protection area consists of 345 square miles and it operates 10 fire stations.

In 2020, the Osage Beach Fire Protection District's Board of Directors approved the proposal to purchase a new fire boat. This new purchase would replace the oldest boat in their fleet, Marine 11, which has since been sold to a department in New York State. The boat, purchased from Lake Assault Boats is a 31-foot Mono Hull with twin Mercury 300 Horsepower outboard engines. The boat will come equipped with a 5 Kw Generator and 1500 Gallons per minute fire pump. It will also be outfitted with multiple electronics that will be utilized to assist in search and rescue during incidents on the water. Fire boats Fire boats at the Lake of the Ozarks have proven on multiple occasions a necessity. They allow for fire and EMS personnel to get to patients on the water quickly. They are also utilized to assist in fire suppression, especially on large condo complexes and homes on or near the water. They, in short, become floating fire hydrants by pumping large amounts of water to the fire engines on land where firefighters are making an attack on the fire. They have received these photos from Lake Assault with their new boat beginning to be pieced together and decals placed. Soon this vital piece of equipment will be serving those within the district and ready to respond to assist those outside of the district.