The Daviess County Fire Department recently added a $30,000 R One Series rescue boat to its fleet.
Jeremy Smith, DCFD fire chief, said the new boat has not been put in service yet because firefighters need to use it to train.
Smith said training on the new rescue boat has been better than expected.
“We have tested launching it in the backwaters, and the day we tested it in the Ohio River it was very rough waters and it performed very well,” Smith said. “I have been very pleased so far.”
The rescue boat has a 50 horsepower Honda motor and is designed specifically for different types of water rescue operations. Smith said this boat will be used primarily for backwater rescue.
Smith said the jon boat at the west fire station is almost 30 years old, and the department also has a riverboat ready for fire rescue.
The new boat will be kept at the Owensboro-Daviess County Airport Station.
