Two fireboats from the Los Angeles City Fire Department's five-boat fleet sprayed water high into the air in a demonstration of shipboard firefighting techniques and emergency operations. The larger boat, the Ralph J. Scott, was built in 1925 and pumped the water at a rate of more than 16,000 gallons a minute. The smaller boat pumped out about 9,000 gallons per minute. Fire Chief William Bamattre said his agency works with ships' captains to prepare for fires. We have constant drills.
Every ship has to have a fire inspection.
We have had drills on cruise liners when they are in between cruises to get access to the ships and become familiar with them and to test our equipment. He referred to Monday's situation when the Carnival Ecstasy's captain initially turned down offers of help, saying his crew could handle it. The Coast Guard later praised the captain, saying he was entirely cooperative once he realized he needed help from shore. The Ecstasy's sister, the Elation, is one of more than 300 cruise ships that dock in the Port of Los Angeles annually. Councilman Rudy Svorinich, who represents the area, said he will introduce a motion to replace the Ralph J. Scott.