
On Saturday, the Curtis Randolph, Detroit’s fire boat, will once again grace the shores of the PNC Bank Roar on the River. The fire boat will dock at Elizabeth Park from 6pm to 9pm. Attendees can board the boat for tours during this time.
The Curtis Randolph is a fireboat operated by the Detroit Fire Department.[1] The 74.58-foot (22.73 m) vessel was launched in 1979, and is named after a young firefighter who died in the line of duty in 1977. Mayor Coleman A. Young commissioned the vessel.[2]
According to the Detroit Public Safety Foundation it is the “only Class A fireboat on the waterways between Chicago and Cleveland.”[3][4][5]
The boat can pump 11,000 gallons per minute.[4] The Curtis Randolph replaced the John Kendall, an older vessel that required a crew of ten, including five men whose sole responsibility was to stoke the steam engines. Learn more about the history of the fireboat here http://detroitfirefighters.net/fireboat.html.