Porter County Career Center students from Mark Fischer’s printing class got some hands-on experience in a recent collaboration with the Portage Fire Department. Due to a grant from FEMA, the Fire Department was able to acquire a new dive and rescue fire boat this past February to patrol Lake Michigan’s coastline. The department sought out the talent of the Career Center students and gave them the task of designing, printing, and applying the graphics for the new boat.
“The kids are always working hard,” shared Dive Team Commander Tom Colvin. “This design is a great opportunity for the students to have pride and ownership in their community. This is a piece of history for the city of Portage; they can say, ‘Hey, We were a part of that.’”
After discussing the idea they had in mind, the Fire Department handed over the reins to the 6 students, giving them the artistic freedom to put their own spin on the look. “At first, the kids wanted to put flames on the boat, get radical,” laughed Fischer, “Eventually we came to the conclusion it wasn’t good to put fire on fire…simple is better.” Both groups came to a middle ground and focused on a simple font decal, made of reflective material that is easily seen in low lighting conditions.
“I think it’s great. The students did a fantastic job with our apparatus,” stated Firefighter Mark Malark, going on to talk about how the boat is such an asset to the community. “When the Coast Guard and FEMA realized we didn’t have protection on the coast, they were amazed, especially with the port here.”
An impressive piece of equipment, the boat is unique not only to Portage, but also to the region. “The only one similar to it is in Chicago,” Colvin said. A three-man tow bar lowers off the back of the boat, reaching all the way to the lake bottom for search and rescue missions. The flir system provides infrared technology for searching in low visibility by detecting heat and sight sonar provides 3D GPS.
Water missions are not the only use for the boat; with the drop-down front, the boat can be beached on land and used to supply water from the lake to the trucks. The boat pumps 2,125 gallons per minute, outshining the average fire truck’s ability to pump 1,500 gallons a minute. “We tried to get the most and latest technology we could out of the grant,” stated Colvin.
The boat will set sail on its inaugural mission in April.