Lake Assault Boats, part of Fraser Shipyards and a manufacturer of purpose-built, mission-specific fire and rescue boats, has delivered a custom 26-foot craft to the Bartow County Fire Department in Northwest Georgia. The boat was placed into service in July on Lake Allatoona, about 30 miles north of Atlanta.

“Lake Allatoona is one of the most popular lakes in the entire country, and we’re honored to have one of our custom craft now on duty with the Bartow County Fire Department,” said Chad DuMars, Lake Assault Boats vice president of operations. “The boat’s versatile configuration enables firefighters to quickly and effectively respond to a wide range of on-the-water emergencies.”

The modified V-hull craft’s configuration includes a 9-foot, 6-inch beam and a 63-inch hydraulically operated bow door. Other components include a 1,250 GPM fire pump driven by a dedicated 6-cylinder engine. A pair of 150 hp four-stroke outboards power the craft.

The boat is equipped with a full-width T-top pilothouse offering an interior clearance height of 76-inches, and its ergonomic helm station features a 12-inch Garmin touchscreen integrated with GPS, sonar with SideVu and DownVu, and Chart Plotting.

“This new fireboat takes our department’s emergency response capabilities to a whole new level,” said Deputy Chief Marcus Warren of the Bartow County Fire Department. “The hydraulic bow door in particular enables us to beach the craft on a shoreline and quickly deploy an ATV, equipment, and firefighters. It is also an extremely valuable feature for our dive team during rescue operations.” 

“We met the folks from Lake Assault Boats at a trade show, and started a conversation that led to our purchase,” Warren said. “Ultimately, our order was placed through the Houston-Galveston Area Council purchasing cooperative, and it was a very smooth process.”

Lake Allatoona is primarily located in Bartow County, but portions are situated in Cherokee County and Cobb County. The shoreline includes eight marinas, 15 public boat ramps, many year-round residences, summer cottages, resorts, and hundreds of campgrounds. “The lake can be extremely busy, so we also provide mutual aid services to other department on the lake,” Warren said, “especially during busy national holidays like Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day.”