A legacy of service and continued community response

SOUTH PLATTSBURGH | The South Plattsburgh Fire Department has added a new piece of apparatus to its emergency vehicle fleet. 32-Marine-1 is a newly refitted aluminum hull center console boat that holds not only a bright future with department responses but a sentimental past as well. Members of the department along with donations, labor and materials from several local vendors have done the work and brought this project to the water to respond to incidents on Lake Champlain. Chief Jeff Santor stated that, "The South Plattsburgh Fire District includes about 8 1/4 square miles of Lake Champlain including Crab Island and the northern end of Valcour Island which is heavily populated in the summer months with boaters and campers alike. The district shoreline has many residential properties ranging from family camps to multi-million dollar residences. There are also a number of rental properties including Airbnb-type homes. All of these properties coupled with the recreational uses of the lake in our response area create the need for this response capability. The department has had response requests for overturned canoes, jet skis, bass fishing boats and sailboats. Lake Champlain can be unforgiving on some severe weather occasions and often times unsuspecting boaters aren't prepared and need intervention as quickly as possible." The boat, call sign 32-MARINE-1, is outfitted with a fire pump and monitor that can be used for boat fires, fires on Valcour or Crab Island and although less likely, depending on conditions, could also assist with response to lake shore residential fires. "The boat is a donation to the department from the family of late Commissioner, past Fire Chief and long department member Wally Day. The boat is actually a 1982 StarCraft fishing boat that dad had taken in on trade from a man from Vermont who purchased a larger fishing boat," stated Eric Day, Wally's son and Assistant Fire Chief at SPFD. "The family and staff used that boat as a work boat, and maybe even for a few fire/rescue calls on the lake, at Day Brothers for a good part of my life and I couldn't think of a better use for it today but to carry on the spirit of Wally as a Marina owner and Firefighter." Department members will be training on operations of the vessel and its firefighting systems as well as building experience and familiarization with the response area this spring. Thanks to Day Brothers Boats for the sale and rigging of the new 150-hp Mercury outboard. Special thanks also for assistance and donations to Carl Smith Generators, Bob's Instant Plumbing, Labounty's Wrecker Service, K&L Plumbing, Jeff Schiff and Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 773, Modern Mechanical, Greg and Josh Burnell and O'Reilly Auto parts. Without the assistance of these folks and their businesses, this in-house fabrication and refitting process would not have been possible.

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A legacy of service and continued community response

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