HALL COUNTY, Ga. — After a summer that saw a boat explode on July 4, sending a family to the hospital, Hall County fire has a new firefighting tool.
Around 14 million people visit Lake Lanier every single summer.
Channel 2’s Michael Doudna got an exclusive look at some of the technology that is being used to protect both people and property.
“Any kind of typical call that we would have now, we can just do it better,” Kimberlie Ledsinger with the Hall County Fire Department said.
For the first time, the Hall County rescue boat will have a water pump that is able to pour out 1,500 gallons of water per minute in case of a floating emergency.
“We are initially expecting quicker response, as well as just better care for things like boat explosions,” Ledsinger said.
Boat explosions are something we saw on July 4. One of them sent Jessica Kurtz and her family to the hospital with burns.
“My left hand stops about right there,” Kurtz said, showing Doudna her hand.
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She finally returned from the hospital two weeks ago and said the firefighters’ quick actions got them the care they needed, but said a boat that could have immediately put out the fire could be vital.
“You can save lives, save a lot of lives,” Kurtz said.
“If we were able to use fire suppression capabilities, we could have put that out a lot quicker,” Ledsinger said.
And it’s not all about fire suppression. There’s technology on the boat, like infrared technology, that can better identify potentially stranded swimmers out on the water.
“I would say this boat represents just hope, and rescue, and better outcomes,” Ledsinger said.
The goal is whatever happens on the water— be it dehydration or an explosion— that Hall County Fire and Rescue will now have an answer, able to sail to the rescue.
“For them to have a rescue fire boat on the water, that’s very, very, very needed because you never know what’s going to happen,” Kurtz said.
Right now, Hall County Fire is training firefighters on how to operate the boat, and they hope to have it in the water and operational in the coming months.
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