Protector (fireboat)

The City of Long Beach, California started to operate a new fireboat, now known as the Protector, in May 2014. The vessel was known as Fireboat 20, until she was officially commissioned, on June 8, 2016. A sister ship will follow within a year. The two new vessels will replace the Challenger and the Liberty, commissioned in 1987. The earlier vessels had a troubled maintenance record. She will be one of the most powerful fireboats in the world.

Protector is propelled by a pair of Voith-Schneider propellers, an advanced propulsion system that bears some resemblance to helicopter propulsion, and enable instantaneous changes in the propeller thrust. She is 108 feet long, with a maximum speed of 13 knots. Her ten water cannon can pump 41,000 gallons per minute, more than four times as much as her predecessors. She is able to throw her water up to 236 feet (72 m) in the air, and up to 580 feet (180 m) away.

The two vessels were designed by Robert Allan Limited, a firm known for designing many widely admired tugboats, fireboats and support vessels.

In addition to firefighting duties Fireboat 20 and her sister have air-tight crew compartments and a decontamination chamber, so they are equipped to respond to the releases of hazardous material, in particular they can respond to radiological, poison gas, or germ warfare attacks. The vessels pumps can de-water flooded structures. The vessels are highly automated, and require only a crew of four. But they can transport 12 additional individuals. Part of the cabin can serve as an emergency infirmary, so carrying emergency medical technicians can make sense, or additional firefighters, or hazmat technicians.

The pair of vessels was budgeted at $51 million.