WASHINGTON: The Port of Long Beach (POLB) took a step forward with the planning of two new fireboat stations that will be vital to protecting the major commercial gateway. On Monday, Harbor Commissioners approved engineering design services for Fireboat Stations Nos. 15 and 20, as well as a baseline project budget of $50.1 million for the first station to be built, Fireboat Station No. 15, the port announced.
Station 15 will be located on the Main Channel and is expected to be completed in 2020. Fireboat Station No. 20, with an estimated budget of $51.6 million, will be located in the Port’s Inner Harbor and is scheduled to be completed in 2021. “These fireboat stations will safeguard the Port and our customers in this new era of big ships,” POLB Executive Director Mario Cordero said in a statement. “They will provide the best waterside response possible, maximize landside firefighting coverage and serve as a home for our new, state-of-the-art fireboats.” Each fireboat station will include living quarters, a garage for firefighting apparatus and a full waterside wharf with enclosure for the fireboat.
In accordance with the port’s efforts to be a worldwide leader in sustainable operations, the fireboat facilities will be designed to attain the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Program’s (LEED) gold rating by using water-saving technology, energy-efficient appliances, natural ventilation and other features. “With ships more than doubling in size in the last decade and cargo traffic breaking monthly records, this is a needed upgrade to Port safety,” Cordero said in a statement. Later this year, commissioners will consider putting the construction of the project out to bid, according to the announcement.
