Lakeside ‘frog’ fireboat kissed by Princess

Fireboat

After many man-hours and a lot of very expensive materials, the metamorphosis from surveyed old Saint Helen’s Fireboat to Lakeside’s hottest fireboat on the Oregon coast has begun.

Donations were raised and labors of love are being put into what can only be described as a work of art. After being delivered to Sause Brothers approximately seven weeks ago, the boat was prepped and painted by some very exceptional professionals.

Anti-fouling material was used below the water line and a very durable epoxy finish was used above the water line. The boat was then delivered to Artworks Unlimited in Coos Bay, where some very cool flames and lettering were applied.

The boat is currently at Gold Coast Truck Repair, Inc. where its trailer is being repaired and, when done, will be off to Koontz Machine where some survey repairs will be completed.

Following the repairs at Koontz Machine, the radar is slated to be upgraded by George’s Electronics at Charleston boat basin.

Then it’s back to Lakeside where emergency lighting, siren, and navigation equipment will be re-installed. When these items are complete, a new survey will be done prior to launching.

Lakeside Fire would like to give our undying gratitude to Mike Murry and the entire painting crew at “Sause Brothers” for a great job.

This portion of the repairs would not have been possible without a generous donation of paint and materials from the Tenmile Lakefront Owners Association, and from Marvin and Ethel TerBest for funds to add the graphics and artwork, so skillfully applied by Patrick at “Artworks Unlimited”.

Last, but not least, high praise for Lakeside’s Fire Chief Ted Ross and the folks at the Federal Excess Property Program and Columbia River Fire and Rescue whose hard work, diligence, donated equipment and support throughout this project are tranforming Lakeside’s fireboat into a beautiful and functional machine with which to serve Lakeside and its surrounding communities.

This has truely become a community project and there will be more news as progress is made.
Rod Schilling, LVFD volunteer and city councilman