FDNY has had a long history of serving the needs of their community dating back to 1648. It wasn’t until 1865 that the modern-day Fire Department was first established. The professional force was needed to better provide protection to the fast-growing and increasingly complex metropolis. The first reference to the nomenclature F-D-N-Y was made in 1870.
This particular version of MCM’s 70 footer is scaled down slightly to fit the needs of FDNY. Our traditional FireStorm 70 is four feet wider, slightly longer and has a much larger cabin/tool room. MetalCraft Marine Incorporated is a fully integrated designer and manufacturer of custom high performance fire, rescue, patrol, research and other specialized work boats. MCM was established in 1987 and is a World leader in aluminum high speed, high pumping craft. With over 630 hulls built to date, in service vessels include Boston, Port of Houston, Washington DC and Miami Fire Departments along with US Coast Guard, US Navy, Panama Canal Authority and many other Ports around the Globe.
“The name of the new boat “William M. Feehan” holds special meaning to FDNY. First Deputy Commissioner Feehan was killed on that fateful morning terrorists flew hijacked jetliners into the twin towers on Sept. 11, 2001. At 71, he was the oldest of the 343 FDNY members who perished.
Feehan was a blaze-battling legend in his own time, heralded for his intuitive knowledge and cunning in fighting fires. He was thought to have known the location of every fire hydrant in the Big Apple and remains the only FDNY member to have held every rank in the department, from probationary firefighter on up to fire commissioner. The name plate held high on along-side the cabin of their new fireboat is milled from an I-beam lifted from the rubble and ruin of the World Trade Center over 14 years ago.
“He was a fireman’s fireman,” Salvatore Pastore said over the phone from Brooklyn. Pastore is a lieutenant with Marine Company 6 as well as FDNY liaison with MCM for the new boat.
“We’ll never forget any of the firefighters we lost that day,” noted 28-year veteran Pastore. “But this lets ‘Chief’ Feehan’s family know that we’re remembering him in a special way.”
“Working with the FDNY team on the build of the William M. Feehan has been a tremendous honor for us at MetalCraft. With the input of the FDNY personnel, we have implemented several new features on this fireboat. The FS70 is our flagship vessel, and the William M. Freehan is undoubtedly our most advanced one to date,” commented Michael Allen, MetalCraft’s General Manager. “We hope the FDNY and people they protect will benefit from this vessel for many years to come.”
MetalCraft’s Project Manager Jay Milner said “It has been a great pleasure working with the FDNY organization, their knowledge of both the Marine and Firefighting aspects combined, has made this vessel a one-of-a-kind machine. I have thoroughly enjoyed every step of the process and have learned from them during the course of the build. Wishing them all the best and stay safe.”
The William M. Freehan sailed from MCM via Lake Ontario to the Erie barge Canal, down the Hudson and out at NYC. The journey took 4 days and had a huge welcome upon entering the New York harbor on October 12, 2015.
FDNY Marine Companies are the New York Fire Department’s fireboats and are tasked with SCUBA/Dive Rescue and off-land firefighting in New York’s rivers and harbors. The FDNY’s three Marine Companies operate large fireboats and smaller, secondary rescue boats to respond to various marine-related emergencies.
For more information, go to www.metalcraftmarine.com
