With blue skies and temperatures in the 70s, it was the perfect day for a boat tour of the Columbia River.
But the boat the Vancouver City Council, city staff members, and Port of Vancouver and business leaders boarded Monday was no pleasure craft. It was the Vancouver Fire Department’s new $1.59 million quick-response boat, Discovery, purchased with a federal grant. Dedicated in May 2014, the 46-foot long boat named after Capt. George Vancouver’s vessel is equipped to respond to fires, medical calls, chemical spills and search-and-rescue missions.
It took a full year to train the fire department to use the custom-designed boat, which is the biggest fire boat that the builder, Munson Marine, has ever constructed, said Fire Division Chief Steve Eldred. The vessel officially went into service earlier this summer, on June 15.
“It’s not something where you can just take guys and say, ‘go drive it,’ ” Eldred said.
Discovery, which docks at the Christensen Shipyards marina and has a minimum staffing of three people, is intended to routinely respond to incidents between Caterpillar Island and Camas. Paid for by a Federal Emergency Management Agency port security grant, Discovery is on call to help anywhere from Astoria, Ore., to Lewiston, Idaho. That help arrives quickly: Firefighters from Fire Station 1 can be on the water in 10 minutes, Eldred said.
The vessel already has handled several calls for grass fires. In one case, Portland fire crews rode Discovery to Government Island to fight a fire, and Vancouver firefighters remained onboard to pump water to them. The boat also supported the Camas Fire Department by transporting a water skier with a broken leg, Eldred said.
Monday’s mission, however, was to give city councilors and staff members both a close-up view of the Discovery and a fresh vantage point of various riverfront projects. Commanded by fire Capt. Tom Coval, the boat, which has a top speed of 35 knots, cruised west to the Port of Vancouver.
Barry Cain, president of Gramor Development, pointed out where a new city park, pier, offices and apartment buildings will be sited as part of the $1.3 billion waterfront development project his company is leading.
“Whatever you think it’s going to be, it’s going to be more,” Cain said.
The Discovery turned around and headed east, passing under the railroad bridge and then the Interstate 5 Bridge. The old concrete Kaiser shipyard berths from World War II and the Columbia Business Center went by. As the Discovery picked up speed, people on jet skis raced back and forth across the boat’s wake.
“A lot of this, when I started working for the city, was barren land,” remarked Councilor Larry Smith, gesturing at the Columbia Shores condominiums lining the water.
Councilor Jack Burkman said he saw a “tremendous amount of economic benefit.”
“It’s a lot bigger waterfront than I had realized, even after living here 30 years,” he said.
At the Tidewater Cove development and Waterfront Renaissance Trail reconstruction, the Discovery turned around and headed back for Vancouver Landing at Terminal One by the Red Lion Hotel Vancouver at the Quay.
Leaning against a railing, Councilor Bill Turlay said he loved the boat tour.
“I think it gives a different perspective,” he said. “I wish we could do this every week.”
