For the first time since the fall of Saddam Husseinâs regime, Baghdad has a fire boat patrolling the Tigris Riverâofficially. The Future 2, a fire boat found looted and inoperable by soldiers of the 40th Engineer Battalion, 1st Armored Division, on the bank of the Tigris near the 14th of July Bridge, has been repaired and returned to duty. The boat was finally rededicated by 1st Armored Division soldiers and Iraqi firefighters in a ribbon-cutting and christening ceremony on the Tigris near where it was found.
| Cheeze. Now there's a thought. With the Muslim hangups about sex and women, what there hell is there to talk about at the firehouse? |
Soldiers discovered the fire boat during the summer and saw its potential for use in river patrols and search and rescue, according to Maj. Robert J. Bayham, operations officer, 40th Engineer Battalion. âThis was a great opportunity for the Coalition Forces to help improve public services for Iraqi citizens,â he said. The unit hired a contractor with experience in marine repair to rebuild the boat, which they initially thought the Iraqi Police could use to patrol the river, Bayham said. However, the police did not have the means to maintain or man the vessel, so it was turned over to the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps (ICDC), which includes the fire department. The $12,000, 40-day repair project on Future 2 included rebuilding the engine, repairing the water cannons and repainting the hull and deck. It was completed about a month ago, and the boat has been in service since then, according to Capt. Mark St. Laurent, executive officer, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 354th Civil Affairs Brigade, an Army Reserve unit from Riverdale, Md. Before the war, the ICDC had 12 boats, including the Future 2, for patrolling the river. Now, the Future 2 is the only boat in use. Though the rest were stolen, damaged or destroyed, projects to restore more boats are being planned. Although the boat is designed to put out fires, its main purpose will likely be in search and rescue or recovery operations and to assist boats in distress on the Tigris, Bayham said. St. Laurent, a firefighter and paramedic in Washington, D.C., said that there is an international brotherhood between firefighters. âIt does not make a difference what part of the world weâre in, we are one.â |