Longboat Fire Rescue Department hopes to purchase new rescue boat

The Longboat Key Fire Department hopes to purchase a new, up-to-date fire rescue boat in fiscal year 2026, with a grant funding half.

Fire Chief Paul Dezzi said the town applied for a grant through the West Coast Inland Navigation District last year and received the $270,000 matched grant for the upcoming FY26. 

If the Longboat Key town commission approves the item in the FY26 budget, the town will assume the remaining $270,000 cost to purchase the boat. 

The fire rescue department purchased its current boat in 2011. At the time, Dezzi said the manufacturer was new to fire boats, so the boat is an early model.

Now, the department hopes to purchase a more updated boat manufactured specifically for fire departments. 

“It’s time,” Dezzi said. “It worked for what we needed, but the next boat will be more of a fire boat.”

This one will have more upgraded features, will be lighter and able to transport patients more efficiently, according to Dezzi. More cabinet space will allow the crew to outfit it with all the necessary equipment. 

“Overall, it’s going to be a nicer boat. Not just a nicer boat, but one that will be more efficient for us to operate in,” Dezzi said. 

Dezzi said, pending commission approval, they can order the boat through a Seattle manufacturing company when FY26 starts in October. He estimated it would take about eight months from when it’s ordered to being delivered.

Dezzi estimated the new boat will probably have a similar lifespan to the current one, which is about 14 years. 

The department takes the boat once a week for maintenance and to check the equipment. Aside from that, the boat is only on the water when needed for calls and not used as frequently as the police department’s marine patrol vessels. 

Swimmers in distress, boat collisions and boat fires are examples of calls the department receives. Because of the severity of these scenarios, Dezzi said the boat will have advanced life support capabilities. 

Also on the 5-year capital budget for the fire department are new ladder trucks. Dezzi said the department ordered a new ladder truck this year, which won’t be in use for another two-and-a-half years due to supply chain issues. 

Costs have continued to rise for vehicles like the ladder trucks and ambulances. On the 5-year capital plan is $1.7 million carried over from FY25 for the new ladder truck. 

“That was an unbelievable increase. I was shocked when I saw the increase,” Dezzi said, adding that, in the past, ladder trucks cost $750,000 to $850,000. 

The trucks usually last the department about 10 to 12 years. When it’s time to swap them out, Dezzi said the fire rescue department will work with the town’s finance department to get the best option on a trade-in value. Any money from the trade would go to the town’s budget, not directly back to the fire rescue department, according to Dezzi.