The Daviess County Fiscal Court is accepting bids for a new fire rescue boat for the Daviess County Fire Department.
The court will take bids until 2 p.m. March 26, when the bids will be opened and read publicly at the Daviess County Courthouse.
“We are looking at upgrading one of our Jon boats,” said Chief Jeremy Smith, Daviess County Fire Department. “When we have these flash flooding it’s very pertinent that we have quick access to that boat.”
Smith said DCFD has a Jon boat at its Daviess County Airport Fire Station, 2140 Airport Road, but the department doesn’t have one at its other station, East Daviess County Fire Station, 5005 Highway 54 East.
“Basically with getting this second (Jon) boat, it will allow us to have one of our boats on each end of the county, at each one of our paid stations,” Smith said. “It will operate on the river as well but it will be used also for backwater rescues, things like that when the floodwaters come up.”
Smith said the Jon boat at the west fire station is almost 30 years old and that the department also has a riverboat ready for fire rescue.
“We utilize these Jon boats a lot more,” he said. “They’re quick response boats that can be deployed in a ditch or backway.”
