Long Beach port and city officials recently dedicated two new Port of Long Beach fireboat stations that they say enhance the Long Beach Fire Department’s waterside and landside emergency response capabilities, thereby better safeguarding visiting ships, cargo and waterfront workers.
The facilities – Fireboat Station 15 and Fireboat Station 20 – are the products of a $109 million Port of Long Beach program to preserve business continuity, security and economic interests.
The dedication ceremony was held March 1 at Station 15.
With an anticipated lifespan of 50 years, both stations were approved for construction by the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners in 2017 and funded by port revenues.
“This is a great day for the Port of Long Beach, as we celebrate completion of a long-needed major revamping of fire safety facilities and equipment in the harbor,” Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero said. “Fireboat Stations 15 and 20 and our fireboats vastly improve our preparedness and resilience in the face of emergencies.”
“These new stations will have a lasting and positive impact on our ability to quickly respond to emergencies,” Long Beach Harbor Commission President Bobby Olvera Jr. added.
Fireboat Station 15 is a single-level, 7,750-square-foot building in the port’s outer harbor with living quarters, a garage for two firefighting apparatus trucks and a full wharf with a 16,311-square-foot boat bay enclosure that houses the fireboat Vigilance.
Construction began in April 2019 and the project was completed in September 2021.
Fireboat Station 20, located in the port’s inner harbor, is a two-level, 9,783-square-foot structure equipped with living quarters, a garage for two firefighting apparatus trucks and a 16,280-square-foot boat bay enclosure that houses fireboat Protector.
Construction started in March 2021 and the project was completed in December 2023.
Fireboat Protector entered service in 2016, followed by Vigilance a year later. The fireboats are each equipped with 10 water cannons capable of sending up to 41,000 gallons per minute to a distance of up to 600 feet, or the length of two football fields.
