Harbour Village Marina receives state boating infrastructure grant

Two Northshore Fire Department firefighters displayed the Harbour Village Marina's updated fire-suppression system this afternoon in Kenmore. The marina received a $95,000 state boating infrastructure grant to help pay for a $120,000 improvement to the system. Pictured, the firefighters hook up a hose to a standpipe on the breakwater dock. In the parking lot, about 400 feet away, fellow firefighters connect lines to another standpipe and a hydrant and pump water from the truck into those to pressurize the system, according to Mark Musch, the fire department's training director.

By Staff Report • April 15, 2011 7:47 pm
Two Northshore Fire Department firefighters display the Harbour Village Marina's updated fire-suppression system this afternoon in Kenmore.
Two Northshore Fire Department firefighters display the Harbour Village Marina's updated fire-suppression system this afternoon in Kenmore.

Two Northshore Fire Department firefighters displayed the Harbour Village Marina’s updated fire-suppression system this afternoon in Kenmore. The marina received a $95,000 state boating infrastructure grant to help pay for a $120,000 improvement to the system.

Pictured, the firefighters hook up a hose to a standpipe on the breakwater dock. In the parking lot, about 400 feet away, fellow firefighters connect lines to another standpipe and a hydrant and pump water from the truck into those to pressurize the system, according to Mark Musch, the fire department’s training director.

“The standpipe system allows us to get our hose lines in place much, much faster. We are able to take our hose bundles remotely out to the boats, to the location, hook them up and supply water to the fire,” said Musch, adding that the time frame in completing this process is about 1 1/2 to two minutes.

Without the standpipe system, firefighters would have to hand-lay several hundred feet of hose and then extend from there to get an adequate amount of water to a typical boat fire, Musch added. That process would take about seven to 10 minutes to complete.

During the display, there was a mechanical failure, with either part of the flexible pipe or the couplings failing that caused a pressure loss in the line, Musch said. It will need to be repaired and another pressure test will take place.

Roland Strolis, a member of the marina’s board of directors, said the marina has added the new, faster dry system (no water inside the pipes until the fire department arrives), but still maintains a smaller wet system (always pressurized water in the pipes to put out fires). With the wet system, there’s less water and less pressure, Strolis said.

The grant comes from the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife and is for facilities for boats that are greater than 26 feet. The new fire system serves the marina’s boardwalk, Pier 2 and the breakwater dock.

Strolis said marina officials are presently collecting dues from boat owners for their next set of upgrades, which will include completion of the dry standpipe system for piers 1,3,4 and 5, and an enhanced fire-suppression system (including fire curtains to protect boats) for covered piers 1 and 2.