The Firefighter - Marine Unit 9 of the New York City Fire Department is one of the largest fire boats ever built.  It was designed in 1934, The Firefighter was built in 1936/37 and placed into service in 1938 to protect the New York City waterfront.  With many miles of piers and docks, and a great number of ships entering and leaving each day, it was necessary to provide a fireboat with the capacity to pump a large amount of water and able to reach the tops of the 3, 4 and 5 story piers where people, freight and equipment was loaded onto the great ships.

On the bow (front) and the stern (rear) of The Firefighter are large black hose reels the carry over 5000 feet of 5” hose.  This hose gives The Firefighter the ability to supply land based fire engines with large quantities of water over great distances.

At over 60 years young, The Firefighter remains in service today and still proudly protects the New York waterfront.