page_title: Leschi (fireboat)
section_title: Mission and capabilities
hierarchical_section_title: Leschi (fireboat) / Mission and capabilities
caption_attribution_description: English: Seattle fireman Kevin Dumont on the Fireboat Leschi, visiting Historic Ships Wharf outside the former Naval Reserve Building, South Lake Union, Seattle, Washington during a memorial for Battalion Chief David H. Jacobs, Jr.
context_page_description: Leschi, named for the native American leader Chief Leschi, is a fireboat operated by the Seattle Fire Department. The ship was laid down in 2006 and commissioned in 2007; its sponsor was Sharon Nickels, wife of the then-mayor Greg Nickels.
  The 108-foot Leschi has been described as the "dreadnought of Seattle's fireboat fleet". Carrying a normal complement of four, its mission includes firefighting, search and rescue, and response to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive emergencies. It can also be used as a mobile pump and fuel station and as emergency medical treatment and command center.
context_section_description: According to Professional Mariner, Leschi's mission is "firefighting, mobile platform for emergency medical treatment and command center, mobile pump and fuel station, and response to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) emergencies."
  The ship's principal fire suppression equipment comes in the form of four 5,000-US-gallon (19,000 l; 4,200 imp gal) per-minute water pumps. In addition to pumping water, the ship's firefighting apparatus can tap an integrated 6,000-US-gallon (23,000 l; 5,000 imp gal) foam tank for use against chemical-fueled fires.  Leschi also has a 55-foot (17 m) telescoping crane with ladder and fire line for use against container ship fires and the ship is able to douse itself with a cooling fog to allow for operation directly adjacent to a major fire.
  In addition to marine firefighting, Leschi can support land-based firefighters in the event of a disaster that destroys Seattle's water mains.  Manifolds on Leschi's deck provide ports through which hose lines can be run to provide fire engines with direct access to seawater.
  Leschi is designed to operate with a complement of four personnel, but has a command and communications room for use by senior SFD officers in the event of a catastrophe that renders land facilities unusable.  The ship is outfitted with a CBRN defense system for crew protection in the event of a nuclear or chemical weapons attack against Seattle, or similar disaster. When activated, the system automatically seals pressurized hatches to the bridge and command center; uncontaminated air is provided by a fan and filter system.
  The ship is regularly equipped with a rigid-hulled inflatable boat that can be launched from the ship's stern.  A thermal imaging camera system allows the ship's crew to locate distressed persons in the water (such as in a man overboard emergency) at night or during other low-visibility conditions.
caption: A Seattle firefighter looks out of a bridge portal on Leschi in 2009
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