City of Boston offers retired fireboat on online auction

The City of Boston is auctioning the retired fireboat FIREFIGHTER on municibid.com, a government auctions website.

The City is disposing of the vessel after commissioning its new fireboat JOHN S. DAMRELL. The starting bid is $10,000 with bidding scheduled to close on September 30, 2012. The auction can be found by going to municibid.com, and searching Listing # 12165.

According the marine survey and the auction listing, the 72.5 ft FIREFIGHTER vessel was built in 1972 and is powered by two Detroit 12V71NA engines each coupled to a Bell & Gosset 3000 GPM fire pump. The pumps were replaced in 2010 at a cost of $25,000 each.

Joseph Lombardi, a Marine Surveyor and Consultant with Ocean Technical Services, LLC, the firm hired to conduct the marine survey, said “FIREFIGHTER presents a fairly clean and neat cosmetic appearance. This vessel is purpose built as a fireboat and has served her entire time in Boston.”

“We are very excited to have Boston’s retired fireboat for auction with us,” said Greg Berry, Founder & CEO of municibid.com. “It’s definitely one of the more unique items that has come across our site.”

July 11, 2012