The Sophie Masloff is a fireboat in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. On December 16, 2016, Pittsburgh officials announced that half a million dollars had been budgeted to acquire a fireboat that was eventually named in honor of Pittsburgh's first female mayor.[1][2][3] The new vessel, the city's first fireboat since 1973,[4] was built by Lake Assault Boats, a Wisconsin firm for $542,750.[5][6]

Two fires, a boat fire in 2015, and fire on a bridge undergoing maintenance, in 2016, convinced officials of the need for a fireboat.[3][7][8] In May 2016 local media reported that the new vessel had been provisionally budgeted at $400,000, but one year in, operational costs raised concern.[9][10] In 1973 the city sold its previous fireboat, named after former mayor Cornelius D. Scully, to Tampa, Florida, for $50,000.[11][12]

The vessel was to be equipped with "sonar, forward-looking infrared cameras, and a state-of-the-art electronic suite". She will be 30 feet (9.1 m) long and able to pump a modest 3,000 gallons per minute and would be staffed by the crew of one of the city's regular fire-trucks, not by its own full-time crew.[11] The vessel was delivered in August 2017.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Fire Bureau's New Boat Named After Iconic Pittsburgher". KDKA-TV. 2017-07-26. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
  2. ↑ "Fire boat will soon be cruising Pittsburgh's rivers". WPXI. Pittsburgh. 2016-12-16. Retrieved 2016-12-17.
  3. 1 2 3 Bob Bauder (2017-08-03). "Pittsburgh's new fire boat is powerful enough to spray a bridge fire". TribLive. Retrieved 2017-08-03.
  4. ↑ Goldstein, Andrew (27 July 2017). "The 'Sophie Masloff' fireboat has arrived". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  5. ↑ Jonathon D. Silver (2016-01-11). "Pittsburgh accepts $542,750 bid from Superior, Wis., firm to build fireboat". Superior Telegram. Archived from the original on 2017-01-16. Retrieved 2017-01-15.
  6. ↑ Jonathan D. Silver (2016-12-16). "Pittsburgh accepts $542,750 bid from Wisconsin firm to build fireboat". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-14.
  7. ↑ "Pittsburgh's brand new fire boat". WTAE-TV. 2016-12-18. Archived from the original on 2016-12-21. Retrieved 2016-12-17.
  8. ↑ Bob Allen (2015-11-07). "Boat Catches Fire On Ohio River, Prompts Discussion About Fire Boat Necessity". KDKA-TV. Archived from the original on 2017-02-12. Retrieved 2016-12-18.
  9. ↑ Sheehan, Andy (23 July 2018). "Concerns Growing About Pittsburgh Fireboat's Maintenance Costs, Usage". KDKA-TV. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  10. ↑ "Pittsburgh considering purchase of fire boat". WPXI. 2016-05-12. Archived from the original on 2017-03-28. Retrieved 2016-12-14.
  11. 1 2 Lexi Belculfine (2016-05-12). "City wants to buy fireboat for riverfront safety". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-18.
  12. ↑ Bob Bauder (2016-05-13). "City of Pittsburgh eyes fireboat costing $400K". TribLive. Retrieved 2016-12-14. Pittsburgh retired its last fireboat — christened the C.D. Scully in honor of former Mayor Cornelius D. Scully — and sold it in 1973 to Tampa for $50,000.
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